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The Limbourg Brothers
Paul, Herman and John Limbourg
Dutch Medieval Illuminators
The brothers were born sometime in the 1370s and they all died of the plague in 1416
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The Limbourg Brothers
were masters of
illuminated manuscript
painting. They had an
extraordinary courtly
style, graceful and
refined. In the year
1413 Paul, Herman and
John Limbourg
were selected by the French Duke of Berry, Jean de Berry, to illuminate
the Très Riches Heures,
a
Book of Hours.
This masterpiece of
manuscript illumination
is widely regarded as
the greatest success of
Gothic book
illumination as well as
the highlight of
medieval painting. Sadly
the Duke along with all
three brothers perished
in the plague epidemic of 1416
and the book was not
completed until some
time later. In
Medieval times book
illumination materials
were extremely costly,
and included ground up
precious stones and gold
and silver leaf. The
labour involved was
tremendous and illustrated manuscripts
often took years and sometimes decades to complete. Only the rich and
powerful could afford to purchase such masterpieces. The best
illuminators, such as
the
Limbourg Brothers,
were celebrities, highly
sought after. They
received sumptuous gifts
and money from their
royal patrons.
Illuminated manuscripts represented early Christian culture and values as well as courtly splendor. Most prominently featured are the holy symbols of the Christian faith--Christ, Saints, The Cross, Virgin Mary, Chalice, Keys, The Anchor, Wheat , Animals, Fish, Angels, Birds, Insects and Satan.
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