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).

Great Litany
Institution of the Great Litany, Folio 73r

Pope Gregory, inspired by the dove of the Holy Ghost, preaches to a crowd of clergy and laity. Two men in the foreground are shown being struck down by the plague, which is rendered with the accuracy the Limbourgs’ personal knowledge afforded. To the right, two listeners cringe at the sight of the victims.