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).
Mass for Christmas
The Nativity, Folio 195r

The text of the mass for Christmas is marked not only with a quarter-page illumination, but also with a broad band of ornament and a large initial P. The miniature includes rich iconography: the Trinity; the Virgin and Joseph adoring the Child; and the annunciation to the Shepherds, all set within a landscape.