The Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry
1405–1408/1409
Medium
Tempera, gold, and ink on vellum
Dimensions
Single leaf, Overall: 9 3/8 x 6 11/16 in. (23.8 x 17 cm); Double leaf, Overall: 9 3/8 x 13 7/16 in. (23.8 x 34.1 cm)
Classification
Manuscripts and Illuminations
Culture
French
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1954
Accession Number
54.1.1a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created for Jean de France, duc de Berry, between 1405 and 1408/1409, The Belles Heures stands as a masterpiece of medieval manuscript illumination. This luxurious Book of Hours, crafted by the Limbourg Brothers, features vibrant scenes from the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary—including the Annunciation, Crucifixion, Agony in the Garden, Adoration of the Magi, and Assumption of the Virgin—rendered in tempera, gold, and ink on vellum. As a personal prayer book, it reflects the devotional practices of French nobility during the early fifteenth century, blending spiritual guidance with artist...