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 Martin and the Beggar, Folio 169r

Martin divided his cloak and gave half to a naked beggar, here shown with his face hidden but revealing one bandaged stump of a leg attached to a wooden support. Details of the scene are described, such as the cobblestone street and architectural city gateway, yet the background is a golden tessellated pattern and the hand of God emerges from a patch of blue sky.