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
Saint George Slaying the Dragon, Folio 167r

George, patron saint of knighthood, appears on his caparisoned horse and turns to strike the final blow to the already mortally wounded dragon. The princess he has saved prays at left while an angel holds his helmet above, and baby dragons emerge from their lair to hiss at their parent’s killer.