The Limbourg Brothers Enter the Service of Jean de Berry (1404)

Following the death of Philip the Bold in April 1404, Herman, Paul (Pol), and Johan Limbourg, who had been working for the Burgundian court, entered the service of Jean, Duke of Berry—Philip’s brother and one of the greatest patrons of the arts in medieval France.

Their first commission under Jean de Berry was to illuminate a Book of Hours, later known as the Belles Heures du Duc de Berry, which is now preserved at The Cloisters of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

I. Jean de Berry: A Patron of the Arts

• Jean de Berry (1340–1416) was a passionate collector of illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, and tapestries.
• As Duke of Berry and Auvergne, he presided over one of the most artistically vibrant courts in Europe.
• He was an extravagant commissioner of illuminated books, employing the finest artists of his time, including the Limbourg brothers.

II. The Belles Heures du Duc de Berry

• The Belles Heures (c. 1405–1409) was an elaborately illuminated Book of Hours, designed for private devotion.
• The manuscript features:
  • Brilliantly detailed miniatures depicting religious scenes.
  • A richly decorated calendar, illustrating the changing seasons and peasant life.
  • A series of full-page narrative cycles, including the Life of St. Catherine and the Legend of St. Jerome.
• This work demonstrates the Limbourg brothers' mastery of color, composition, and naturalistic detail, laying the foundation for their later masterpiece, the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (c. 1412–1416).

III. Legacy and Artistic Influence

• The Belles Heures established the Limbourg brothers as the premier illuminators of their time, elevating manuscript illumination to new artistic heights.
• Their work for Jean de Berry pioneered the International Gothic style, influencing later French and Flemish manuscript art.
• This commission cemented Jean de Berry’s legacy as one of the most significant patrons of illuminated manuscripts, whose collections remain among the most celebrated in the world.

The Limbourg brothers’ arrival at the court of Jean de Berry in 1404 and their creation of the Belles Heures marked the beginning of their legendary contributions to medieval art, culminating in some of the most magnificent illuminated manuscripts ever produced.