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
The Beheading of Porphyrius, Folio 19r

Emperor Maxentius is clearly anguished by his decision to have Porphyrius, the captain of his guard, beheaded in punishment for secretly burying the empress and also converting to Christianity. The scene is striking in its emotional representation and gory details of corpses, severed heads, and gushing blood.