Medieval Art

An Illuminated Year with Limbourg Brothers

Magda Michalska 15 November 2022 min Read

Just imagine you are an extremely rich duke living in the 15th century who likes pretty books and magnificent castles. What do you do to have them both? Commission a book filled with castles, as John the Magnificent, Duke of Berry did. Obviously, you would ask the Limbourg Brothers, the most famous miniature painters from the Low Countries, to make the most illustrious illuminations.

Très Riches Heures

Limbourg brothers, January, Series: Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1416, Musée Condé, Chantilly, France, limbourg brothers
Limbourg Brothers, January, Series: Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1416, Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.

The Très Riches Heures is the name of probably the most famous book of hours in the world. A book of hours is a prayer book with texts for each liturgical hour of the day. It often contains psalms, masses, and calendars, as we can see here. 12 pages dedicated to each month show the usual activities and customs of the month, as well as the zodiac signs.

International Gothic

Limbourg brothers, July, Series: Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1416, ©Photo. R.M.N. / R.-G. OjŽda, limbourg brothers
Limbourg Brothers, July, Series: Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1416. © Photo. R.M.N. / R.-G. Ojda.

The illuminations are a clear example of the late International Gothic style. We can see it in typically elongated figures, little or mistaken spatial depth, and elaborate ornamentation and attention to detail. Check out the lavish costumes from the January page: the Duke is sitting on the right, he is wearing a furry hat and a blue robe, colored with the most expensive pigment made from crushed Middle Eastern stone lapis lazuli.

Duke of Berry

Limbourg brothers, December, Series: Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1416, ©Photo. R.M.N. / R.-G. Ojda, limbourg brothers
Limbourg Brothers, December, Series: Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1416. © Photo. R.M.N. / R.-G. Ojda

Duke of Berry was a great connoisseur of arts and a fond collector of jewels, castles, works of art, and exotic animals. He owned chateaux such as Saumur and Bicetre (also depicted on the pages of the calendar), rubies weighing up to 240 carats, ostriches, camels, and a magnificent collection of various books like astronomical treatises, maps, and religious books.

Limbourg Brothers

Limbourg brothers, September, Series: Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1416, Musée Condé, Chantilly, France,
Limbourg Brothers, September, Series: Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, c. 1416, Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.

Paul, Hermann, and Jean were born in Nijmegen, Netherlands, in the late 1370s or 1380s to an artistic family. Their father was a wood sculptor and their uncle was an artist working variously for the French Queen and for the Duke of Burgundy. The brothers had entered into his service by 1402. In 1405, after the Duke’s death, they entered the service of Jean, Duke of Berry, and worked for him until their death in the plague in 1416.

Get your daily dose of art

Click and follow us on Google News to stay updated all the time

Recommended

Medieval Art

Biblical Tale in Threads: The Apocalypse Tapestry

Tapestry, a delicate medium, is perfect for an elusive apocalypse narrative. This narrative becomes substantiated through the Book of Revelation, in...

Anna Ingram 16 November 2023

Herman, Paul, and Jean de Limbourg, The Belles Heures of Jean de France Medieval Art

5 Medieval Artists You Need to Know

Although most artwork is difficult to attribute to an artist in the medieval period, here are five medieval artists you should know. In this article,...

Anna Ingram 12 October 2023

The Devonshire Hunting Tapestry: Boar and Bear Hunt (detail) Medieval Art

The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries

The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries consist of four large tapestries depicting scenes of hunting various animals. They were made between 1430 and 1450...

Anna Ingram 2 December 2023

discarding image: Rothschild Canticles, Flanders, c. 1300 Medieval Art

The Best of Discarding Images

During the Middle Ages, illuminated manuscripts were first used in the Roman Catholic Church for liturgical services and prayers. The popularity of...

Anna Ingram 15 September 2023