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).

Hours of the Virgin
The Presentation in the Temple, Folio 57r

The scene takes place in a skeletal temple, and the monumental figures of Saint Anne, the Virgin and Child, and the high priest dominate the scene. The elaborate border includes tiny letters on a banderole, spelling out a text taken from Psalm 50. The page was ruled for text before the scene was painted, and the lines can be seen especially at the right, appearing under the figure of the priest and the architectural elements that surround him.