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).

Suffrages of the Saints
Saints Peter and Paul, Folio 159v

Peter holds his key and Paul holds his sword, and they are recognizable not only by these attributes but also by their traditional hair and beard styles. Like other quarter-page illuminations in the Suffrages that have semicircular extensions, the shape was planned before the border vines were painted.