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
The End of the Plague, Folio 74r

The archangel Michael sheathing his sword over the castle—meant to represent Castel Sant’Angelo—indicates the end of the plague, but the scene concentrates on the victims already lost. Their dramatic pallor and extreme positions graphically express death and demonstrate the inventiveness and daring of the artists.