Mary of Burgundy's Departure for the Falcon Hunt

This history painting, completed in **1839** by **Charles Tilmont**, depicts **Mary of Burgundy** setting out for a falcon hunt in a scene that shortly precedes the riding accident from which she died on **27 March 1482**. The work does not show the tragic event itself, but the moment of apparent calm before one of the major political ruptures of the late fifteenth century. Mary's death opened a new phase in the Burgundian succession by placing the **Low Countries** under the regency of **Maximilian of Austria** on behalf of **Philip the Fair**. Produced centuries after the event, the canvas is a historical reconstruction, yet it gives effective visual form to a decisive dynastic turning point in the reign of **Louis XI**.