Les Belles Heures di Jean de France, duca di Berry

The Limbourg Brothers Franco-Netherlandish

1405-1408/1409

On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 14

Les Belles Heures, un libro privato di preghiere, fu il primo di una serie di raffinati manoscritti commissionati ai fratelli Limbourg da Jean de Berry. Questo libro d’ore, forse l’unico libro di preghiere a noi pervenuto dall’eccezionale biblioteca del duca praticamente completo e stilisticamente coerente, presenta novantaquattro miniature a piena pagina e cinquantaquattro a margine che comprendono insoliti cicli figurativi che rispecchiano gli interessi personali del duca. In questa pagina vediamo raffigurato il miracolo di san Nicola che trae in salvo dei naviganti dal mare. Utilizzando una gamma di colori brillanti, gli artisti sono riusciti a fondere le figure arrotondate, tipiche dello stile all’italiana, con una visione minuziosa della natura tipica della pittura settentrionale.

The Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry, The Limbourg Brothers (Franco-Netherlandish, active France, by 1399–1416), Tempera, gold, and ink on vellum, French — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

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Folio 184v, Saint Jerome in a Woman's Dress. Please note that not all folios have photographs and not all the images are in order of the manuscript.

Folio exlibris recto

Folio 2v, January

Folio 13r, December: Slaughtering a Boar - Capricorn

Folio 15r, Saint Catherine in Her Study

Folio 15v, Saint Catherine Refuses to Worship the Idol

Folio 17r, Saint Catherine Tied to a Column

Bifolium 17v-18r, Saint Catherine; Empress Faustina Beheaded

Folio 18v, Angels Destroy the Wheels of Knives

Folio 20r, Angels Carry the Body of Saint Catherine to Mount Sinai

Folio 20v

Folio 24 verso and 25 recto

Folio 30r, The Annunciation

Folio 37v, text

Folio 41 verso 42 recto

Folio 42v, The Visitation

Folio 48v, The Nativity

Folio 52r, The Annunciation to the Shepherds

Folio 54v, The Adoration of the Magi

Folio 57r, The Presentation in the Temple

Folio 57 verso 58 recto

Folio 59v, The Massacre of the Innocents

Folio 63r, The Flight into Egypt

Folio 65 verso and 66 recto

Folio 72r, David Flees from Absalom

Bifolium: 73-74r - Great Litany Process - End of the Plague

Folio 77v, text

Folio 80r, Descent from the Cross

Folio 83 verso 84 recto

Folio 90r, text

Folio 96v, Bishop Hugh Receiving Bruno and his Companions

Folio 91v, The Trinity; The Duchess in Prayer

Folio 91v, detail, The Duchess of Berry in Prayer

Folio 95r, The Burial of Diocrès

Folio 99r, Cemetery

Bifolium: 110-111r - Text

Bifolium: 118-119r - Text

Bifolium: 126-127r - Text

Folio 131v, The Mocking of Christ

Folio 132, The Flagellation

Folio 133r, text

Folio 134 verso 135 recto

Folio 135v, Christ before Pilate

Folio 136r, Pilate Offers to Release Christ

Folio 136v, text

Folio 138r, Pilate Washes His Hands

Folio 142 recto 143 verso

Folio 149v, The Deposition

Folio 149v, The Lamentation

Bifolium: 150-151r - Text

Folio 152r, The Entombment

Folio 152v, Soldiers at the Tomb

Bifolium 158v-159r, Saint John the Baptist; Saint John the Evangelist

Folio 163r, Saint Vincent Cast to the Beasts

Folio 163v, Saint Clement Cast into the Sea

Folio 164v, Saint Eustace Loses his Sons

Folio 166 verso 167 recto

Folio 167r, Saint George Slaying the Dragon

Folio 169r, Saint Martin and the Beggar

Folio 170r, Saint Anthony of Padua Stills a Storm

Folio 170v, text

Folio 173r, Saint Louis before Damietta

Folio 183r, Saint Jerome Studying Classical Philosophers

Folio 184r, Saint Jerome is Ordained as a Cardinal

Bifolium: 185-186r - Saint Jerome Contemplates the Holy Sepulchre - Saint Jerome is Tempted by Dancing Girls

Folio 187r, The Lion finds the Missing Ass

Folio 187v, Saint Jerome Translating the Bible

Folio 189v, The Sick Attending the Funeral of Saint Jerome

Folio 191r, Saint Paul the Hermit Sees a Christian Tempted

Folio 192r, Saint Anthony Receives Directions from a Satyr

Folio 193v, Lions Help Saint Anthony Bury Saint Paul

Folio 194v, The Death of Saint Anthony

Folio 198 verso 199 recto

Folio 206 verso 207 recto

Folio 211r, John the Baptist in the Wilderness

Bifolium: 214-215r - Text - Death of Simon Magus, the duke's arms

Folio 218v, text

Folio 221r, detail, Mass for All Souls

Folio 220 verso 221 recto

Folio 221r, Mass for All Souls

Folio 223r

Folio 223v, The Duke on a Journey

Folio 223v, detail, The Duke on a Journey

Bifolium: 224-225r - Text

Artwork Details

Titolo: Les Belles Heures di Jean de France, duca di Berry

Artista: Herman, Paul e Jean de Limbourg, Franco-olandesi, attivi in Francia, 1399-1416

Data: 1405-1408/1409

Area geografica: Parigi

Cultura: Francese

Materiale e tecnica: Tempera, foglia d'oro, inchiostro su pergamena

Dimensioni: Folio 168r: 23,8 x 17 cm

Crediti: The Cloisters Collection, 1954

Numero d'inventario: 54.1.1a, b

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