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).

Saint Catherine Cycle
Saint Catherine Cast into Prison, Folio 16v

Maxentius, realizing he is unable to undermine Catherine’s faith, has her thrown into prison. The monumental Catherine has to bend over to fit into the small opening, a conflict in scale occasioned by the Limbourgs’ desire to represent the building in its full height.