As explained in my preparation posts, most of the regiments of the White Lady will have a Death Crier, who chants and reminds to his brothers-in-arms the names and exploits of their fallen comrades. The bell is meant to frighten away evil spirits, while the lantern guides lost souls.
Here is the Death Crier accompanying the spearmen:
The starting point of this miniature was an illustration of a Death Crier (or Bellman of the Dead) one can find in several books:
- Paris à travers les âges aspects successifs des monuments et quartiers historiques de Paris depuis le XIIIe siècle jusqu’à nos jours fidèlement restitués d’après les documents authentiques, by Fedor Hoffbauer (1875)
- Les rues du vieux Paris, by Victor Fournel (1879)
- A History of mourning, by Richard Davey (1890)
On the left, Richard Davey's crier. On the right, an alternative and more sinister version that I am unable to source, but that finds an echo on the front page of Les Hymnes de la Fête des Morts en Basse-Bretagne, by Canon Pérennès (1925).
I have then tried to adapt the death's-heads, cross-bones and tears on the lower half of the coat, opting for the white version, more forgiving for my badly drawn skulls 💀. Hope you like it!
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