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Les_Très_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_Janvier.jpg
The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (or simply the Très Riches Heures) is probably the most important illuminated manuscript of the 15th century, "le roi des manuscrits enluminés" ("the king of illuminated manuscripts"). It is a very richly decorated Book of Hours, containing prayers to be said by the lay faithful at each liturgical hour of the day. The Très Riches Heures consists of 416 pages, of which about half are full page illustrations that are among the high points of International Gothic painting in spite of their small size. There are 300 enriched capital letters
It was natural for a book of hours to contain a calendar, and the illustrations of months in the Très Riches Heures (see the accompanying illustration showing one of the pages for "January") are filled with details of the delights and labors of the year, from the Duke's court to his peasants, a counterpart to the prayers of the hours. Each illustration is surmounted with its appropriate astrological hemisphere
It was painted sometime between 1412 and 1416 by the Limbourg brothers for their patron Jean, Duc de Berry. They left it unfinished at their (and the Duc's) death in 1416. Charles I, Duc de Savoie commissioned Jean Colombe to finish the paintings between 1485 and 1489.
The book is currently held by the Musée Condé, Chantilly (Ms. 65).
See also
- Palace, for further illustrations.
External links
- Chateau Chantilly (http://www.chateaudechantilly.com/)
- Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (http://medieval.mrugala.net/Enluminures/TRHBerry/tr-heure.htm)
- Illustrations from the Très Riches Heures (http://www.christusrex.org/www2/berry/index.html)de:Très Riches Heures
fr:Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry he:ספר השעות של דוכס ברי