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).

Calendar Pages
February: Man Warming his Hands, Pisces, Folio 3r

A convincing interior with ceiling, walls, and floor fits into the upper quatrefoil, enclosing a heavily robed man who warms his hands at a fire, with smoke curling up to the rafters. The space seems to extend beyond and behind the quatrefoil, as if it were a window, not a frame. Below, two silvery fish represent the zodiacal sign of Pisces.

See The Medieval Garden Enclosed for more about this calendar page.