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 Francis Receives the Stigmata, Folio 171r

The image of the crucified and bleeding Christ breaks through the diapered background. It is Francis’s vision, and his body responds with blood pouring out of wounds in his hands, feet, and side, in emulation of Christ. The emotional charge is visible in the saint’s face and also in that of his companion monk.