The Art of Illumination

Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry, 1405–1408/9. Herman, Paul, and Jean de Limbourg (Franco-Netherlandish, active in France by 1399–1416). French; Made in Paris. Ink, tempera, and gold leaf on vellum; 9 3/8 x 6 5/8 in. (23.8 x 16.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cloisters Collection, 1954 (54.1.1).

Prayers to the Holy Spirit and Trinity
Pentecost and Trinity, Folio 155r

At upper left, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descends in golden rays to the Virgin and gathered apostles below. The arched top of the quarter-page illumination parallels the painted architecture and vaulted ceiling above the scene. The Trinity is represented as three bust-length, haloed men of three ages, with the elderly crowned God the Father embracing Christ and the Holy Spirit, here represented as a young man. The group floats in a blue sky.