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).

Penitential Psalms
An Angel Destroys the Enemies of David (Psalm 6), Folio 66r

The text of Psalm 6 asks the Lord for mercy and ends by saying the Lord has received the prayer to “let all my enemies be ashamed and be very much troubled.” In the illumination, King David kneels in supplication and his prayer is answered by an angel dispatching his enemies. The page is embellished with a broad border to mark the beginning of the section of the manuscript.