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
April: Courtier Smelling a Flower, Taurus, Folio 5r

A fashionably attired nobleman holds a flowering branch in one hand and lifts a sprig with a blossom to his nose. The pose relates both to the indulgence of the sense of smell and to courtly love. His exaggerated lined sleeves and trimmed tunic represent the latest fashion. Below, the magnificently muscled and alert bull represents Taurus.

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