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
Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, Folio 165v

Handsome, young Sebastian had been the head of the guard, but was martyred for his Christian faith. To fit into the small format of the single-column illumination, the archers and Sebastian are presented at point-blank range.