_LES TRÈS RICHES HEURES DU DUC DE BERRY_
The Duc de Berry was one of those enlightened and enthusiastic patrons
of Art who, by giving numerous commissions to the artists of his time
created important centres of Art in Paris and Dijon. It was for him that
Jaquemart de Hesdin and his school executed the famous _Très Belles
Heures_ (now dispersed), fragments of which are to be found in the
Louvre: in the collections of Baron Adolph de Rothschild in Paris; and
of Prince Trivulzio at Milan: whilst the largest and most interesting
portion, known as the _Hours of Turin_, once treasured in the Royal
Library of that city, perished in a disastrous fire in 1904.[35]
It was likewise for the Duc de Berry that the nephews of Malouel, Pol de
Limbourg and his brothers, painted these famous _Très Riches Heures_ now
at Chantilly. And that the Duke very greatly admired the work of these
artists is proved by entries in old _Inventories_, wherein we find that
he showered valuable presents upon them--pieces of gold (coins), rings,
etc. He moreover presented Pol the eldest and most eminent of the
brothers with a mansion at Bourges, where the artist and his wife
resided until his death.
The Duc de Berry was also one of those collectors whose taste rose above
that of his time; and who, furthermore, proved to be one of the leading
spirits in the development of the Art of that period. Besides famous
painters he also employed the celebrated architect Guy de Damartin to
build and restore his castles. The discovery of a MS. containing
architectural sketches of various fortresses (probably drawn by the hand
of this architect himself) proves that the Duke had a fancy to have his
various castles introduced with the greatest precision into the
backgrounds of the miniatures executed for him in this MS. No doubt it
was by his express wish that the landscape details in the _Calendar_ of
this famous _Book of Hours_ were copied direct from nature and not
treated merely conventionally as hitherto.
[Illustration: Plate XXXIII.
Photo. Giraudon.
AUGUST.
Pol de Limbourg.
From The "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry."
_To face page 166._]
This remarkable work marks an important epoch in the history of
Primitive French Art, inasmuch as its influence extended not only over
France, but also to Italy, Flanders, and the School of Cologne. It
commences with a _Calendar_ delightfully decorated and illustrating
minor passing events in the life of the period, with portraits of the
Duke himself, his family, his friends and other personages.
The Month of January[36] begins by showing us a banqueting scene. The
Duc de Berry, attired in a richly brocaded mantle and a fur cap, is
seated before a screen in conversation with a church dignitary--the only
one among the company besides himself who is seated. Three elegantly
dressed pages are busy serving a meal, whilst another is playing with
some pet dogs; puppies being engaged in eating out of a plate upon the
table. Two cup-bearers stand ready with wine and in a prominent position
upon the board stands a _nef_. This beautiful example of the goldsmith's
art was known as the _Salière du Pavillon_ and its design is attributed
to Pol Limbourg himself.[37] In the background may be seen the Ducal
guards and one of his castles. The face of the Duke appears to be an
excellent likeness if we compare it with a Holbein drawing at the Bâle
Museum, which is said to have been copied from a statue of this prince
at Bourges. Above this miniature, in a blue and gold lunette, appears
the _Chariot of the Sun_ drawn by winged horses--a design repeated
several times in subsequent miniatures.
The Month of February exhibits a bright wintry landscape, where a silent
village[38] with a church tower lies beneath a mantle of white. The
feeling of a cold wintry day is well expressed by the heaped-up masses
of snow, against which the wool of sheep cowering in their folds is
sharply contrasted. We can almost see the shivers of the man to the
right, with his mantle drawn close around him. A haystack, bee-hives,
birds picking up crumbs, a peasant girl warming her feet at an open
fire, are so delightfully realistic, so free from convention, that we
feel that the artist has here given free rein to his imagination.
Then follows March: a peasant is ploughing, whilst behind rises the
fortress of Lusignan, the cradle of the Plantagenets. The sky is blue
and cloudless, and above one of the towers is a flying dragon, intended
to symbolise the fair Melusine. A close copy of this miniature is in the
_Grimani Breviary_.[39]
In the Month of April,[40] with the Castle of Dourdan on the River Orge
we find a scene characteristic of the period. An exchange of
presents--presumably an engagement--is in process between a noble knight
and a richly attired lady. The knight is the same personage who is
represented in attendance upon the Duke in the banquet scene. Another
pair of personages look on with sympathetic interest, whilst two young
ladies gather flowers.
[Illustration: Plate XXXIV.
Photo. Giraudon.
OCTOBER.
Pol de Limbourg.
From The "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry."
_To face page 168._]
The fifth miniature (which the Duc d'Aumale designates as _La Reine de
Mai_)[41] is one of the most charming of the series, for May Day was
at that time an occasion of much festivity at the Court of France. A
gay cavalcade is passing through a wood, headed apparently by a Prince
of the Blood--perhaps even the Sovereign himself--and amid those in
attendance the knight of the last picture again appears, his head bound
with a chaplet of bay-leaves. He is turning back to gaze at his bride,
who rides beside him on a white horse. She wears the same ornaments as
in the previous picture, and it is by these that we can identify her. In
the background, silhouetted against the horizon, is the Castle of Riom,
pleasantly situated in its park and gardens. This picture displays with
much effect the gaiety of the persons represented, who all seem to be
engaged in animated converse. Pol de Limbourg evidently approaches in
this picture his highest capabilities; and becomes more and more
independent of convention.
In the Month of June[42] the Palais de Justice of Charles V with the
Sainte-Chapelle are visible in the rear. The reapers shown in this
composition and the two graceful peasant girls busy amid the fresh-cut
grass have aroused great enthusiasm amongst modern connoisseurs; and we
involuntarily recall the paintings of François Millet and the Barbizon
School--a school which, after nearly four centuries, has revived the art
of realistic landscape-painting in France.
In the Month of July[43] the lofty towers of the Castle of Poitiers,
which not long before had been restored by the Duc de Berry, appear in
the background. And just as the winter landscape of the Month of
February arouses the impression of winter's snow and ice, so this
brilliant composition, in which the sunshine blazes upon the cornfields,
makes one dream of the burning days of summer. The sheep, in February
huddled together in their pens, are now grazing in a meadow, whilst a
young peasant woman is busy plying her shears upon their fleecy coats
and a youth watches her with marked interest.
The Month of August[44] presents a hawking party. Two cavaliers mounted
on richly appointed steeds, their ladies mounted on pillions behind
them, are carrying hawks. One lady is, however, courageous enough to
manage her own palfrey, and holds a hawk upon her left wrist. Behind,
labourers are pursuing their toil and bathers are sporting in a stream.
At the back rises the Château d'Estampes which the Duc de Berry had
recently bought from his brother Louis of Anjou. The landscape is here
treated with admirable freedom. The artist has painted what he saw, just
as it really was, and the outlines of the château are represented with
remarkable fidelity.
The Castle of Saumur appears in the September miniature, where a vintage
is proceeding with life and vigour.
[Illustration: Plate XXXV.
Photo. Giraudon.
DECEMBER.
Pol de Limbourg.
From The "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry."
_To face page 170._]
October[45] brings with it ploughing, whilst a man scatters seed only
to be devoured at once by flights of hungry birds. In the rear various
groups of figures parade up and down upon a quay before the old Palace
of the Louvre.
The Month of November is a disappointment. It is conjectured that the
artist intended to present the Tour de Nesle, the Duke's stately
town-residence, but that through his sudden death the page was left
unpainted until a century later, when Jean de Colombe undertook to fill
it in. It represents a swineherd with his pigs who are grubbing for
acorns; but the landscape is only a feeble attempt to imitate the
earlier work. The lunette, however, was evidently painted by the
Limbourgs.
In December[46]--the last of the series--a hunting-scene is presented,
with a pack of hounds careering through a spacious park, in the
background of which is the Keep of Vincennes, the Duke's birthplace.
This miniature, which somewhat differs in conception from the earlier
ones, was probably executed by one of the brothers of Pol Limbourg.
The fascinating landscapes and the graceful architecture of these
_Calendar Months_ excite our keenest admiration; for we must remember
that at this early date (1415) landscape-painting had hitherto been
treated as mere decoration, without any attempt at reality or
probability.[47] Their special charm lies very largely in their
truthfulness to nature, and the Duc de Berry himself added still further
to this element when he insisted upon the introduction of accurate
representations of his own castles and their surroundings.
Immediately after the _Months_ we come upon a strange miniature, which,
since it also displays the escutcheon of the Duc de Berry, may be
assigned to the years 1415-16 and is therefore presumably the work of
the Limbourgs. Two nude figures, classical in conception, are presented
propped back to back against one another. As in the case of the statue
found at Porto d'Anzio, doubt has recently arisen with regard to their
sex.[48]
It has been suggested that these two figures were inspired by the _Three
Graces_ of Siena; that they are not meant to represent the _Dioscuri_,
as had been hitherto supposed; but that they are two tall slender women
such as we find in early Renaissance Art inspired by Greek originals.
Their tresses are arranged in the characteristic Greek knot and their
slender bodies exhibit the Astrological and Horoscopical connection
between the various members of the human organism and the Signs of the
Zodiac. We do not find amongst the illustrations of the Middle Ages
anything analogous to this curious painting, so that it may be reckoned
amongst the many entirely original ideas peculiar to this interesting
Codex.
[Illustration: Plate XXXVI.
Photo. Giraudon.
THE ZODIAC.
Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers.
From The "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry."
_To face page 172._]
This curious design is followed by small but exquisite miniatures of
the _Four Evangelists_ and of the _Tiburtine Sybil prophesying to
Augustus_. Our attent ion is then drawn to a large design representing
the _Terrestrial Paradise_. Four different scenes are shown on the same
plane: _Eve receives the apple from the Serpent_; _she offers it to
Adam_; _the Almighty interrogating the offenders_; and _their expulsion
from Paradise_ through a Gothic gateway by a stern-looking angel with
scarlet wings. This miniature, out of the entire number of not less than
206, is the only one which exhibits a marked Flemish influence and
reminds us of the fact that the Limbourgs were nephews and pupils of
Malouel, Court-Painter to the Duke of Burgundy. All the other miniatures
in this Codex which can be assigned to these artists are pre-eminently
French in feeling and sensitiveness, showing only occasionally a trace
of the influence of Simone Martini: as, for example, _Christ bearing His
Cross_.
The scenes from the _Life of Christ_ commence after traditional fashion
with the _Annunciation_ and end with the _Crucifixion_. The
_Annunciation_ is perhaps one of the most attractive of the series. It
no longer expresses merely Mediæval symbol but seems rather to simply
represent a story; so that we feel that we are already on the threshold
of the Renaissance. The Virgin kneels before a fald-stool in a Gothic
chapel, whilst the Holy Dove hovers above her head. Smiling with gentle
content, she welcomes the salutation of the Archangel--a handsome youth
who bears in his hand a branch of lilies. Tastefully grouped around the
central composition are angels singing and playing on musical
instruments, and the whole is executed in most vivid colours. The
armorial bearings of the Duke, a _fleur-de-lys_ displayed between a bear
and a swan, have given rise to the canting word _Oursine (ours-cigne)_,
which is said to have been the name of the Duke's favourite mistress.
They occur frequently in this MS.
The _Adoration of the Infant Saviour_, with choirs of rejoicing Angels
around the roof of the stable and Joseph--an Oriental-looking personage
with a long beard--in deep contemplation, is a representation full of
novelty and charm. A shepherd, followed by his flock, draws near to gaze
in awe upon the Divine Babe.
On the next page a number of shepherds are pointing to a choir of angels
who are singing and making melody in the air, whilst in the distance
rises a majestic Gothic cathedral, probably intended to represent the
Temple at Jerusalem. In the foreground is one of those conventional
hillocks so often met with in old mosaics; but the fountain of running
water which rises upon it and from which the sheep are drinking is
realistically conceived. It is interesting, therefore, to note the
admixture of symbolic tradition with realistic feeling.
[Illustration: Plate XXXVII.
Photo. Giraudon.
THE PROCESSION OF THE MAGI.
Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers.
From The "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry."
_To face page 174_.]
The _Procession of the Magi_, again, is an example of the Limbourgs'
facility in applying new forms to conventional conceptions; and it is
worth observing how anxious they evidently were to study the special
wishes of their patron the Duke. We learn from the _Inventory_ of this
Prince that he was an ardent collector of medals, and that he had bought
from a Florentine dealer a medal of the _Emperor Constantine_. The
figure of the most prominent of these three Magi on the left of the
scene appears to have been copied from this very medal.[49] In the
background may be noticed the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris and the
Sainte Chapelle. Again two bears are introduced in allusion to the Ducal
device. In the centre of the picture is a tabernacle of pure French
Gothic style adorned with figures of prophets and saints. These
tabernacles were used in the fourteenth century (the Duc d'Aumale
observes), as halting-places between Paris and Saint-Denis and were
called _Montjoies_.
The _Fall of the Rebel Angels_[50] which comes next is one of the
loveliest pages of the series. God the Father, surrounded by Cherubim
and Seraphim, is enthroned above the golden rays of the Sun. From
amongst the ranks of the Angels--who are seated around in a
semicircle--the rebels are being cast headlong to Earth. As Lucifer in
his fall strikes his handsome head and diadem upon the ground fire
bursts from him, producing a marvellous colour-effect of gold, blue and
green.
Although this composition is otherwise entirely symbolical, a body of
French soldiers clad in armour of that period, with long staves, are
introduced striking down the angels as they fall from above. This
wonderful little design, although not more than 10 inches wide, is so
full of action that it has been compared to the Signorelli frescoes at
Orvieto; and this not without reason, for these miniaturists have, even
on so tiny a scale, produced very much the same forcible effect.
In direct contrast to this awe-inspiring composition is _The Coronation
of the Virgin_[51] shown here with a fine combination of grandeur and
elegance in style. Our Lady's mantle is rainbow-hued and her dress of
pure white is powdered with golden _fleur-de-lys_. Angels bearing her
crown descend from above, whilst Our Lord Himself raises His hands in
blessing. On the right are the Apostles and a group of female Saints,
one of whom is said to be a portrait of _Oursine_ herself. On the left
is a bishop attended by monks. This miniature seems to be a prototype of
a painting by Enguerrand Charonton, executed about half a century later
and now at Villeneuve les Avignon.
[Illustration: Plate XXXVIII.
Photo. Giraudon.
THE FALL OF THE ANGELS.
Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers
From the "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry."
_To face page 176._]
_The Temptation of Our Lord_ deserves somewhat special attention. The
scene is represented as taking place upon a conventional mountain-top;
and Satan is pointing to a castle with three towers: none other than
the Duke's celebrated Castle of Mehun-sur-Yèvre,[52] described by
Froissart as the most beautiful place on earth.
In the _Crucifixion_, in accordance with the Biblical text, the artists
have endeavoured to represent eclipses of the Sun and of the Moon, thus
creating for the first time, as early as 1415, that _chiaroscuro_ which
later on was so much admired when employed by Rembrandt and Correggio.
_The Miracle of the Loaves_, within its graceful frame, is also
extremely interesting; and not less noteworthy is a _Plan of Rome_,[53]
in which may be observed the old basilica of St. Peter, Santa Maria
Maggiore, the Lateran, the Colosseum and the Capitol, the equestrian
statue of Marcus Aurelius, the aqueducts, etc. Nothing is to be seen of
the Forum, for at that time no excavations had yet been made.
In conclusion we must mention the exquisite miniature representing _Mont
St. Michel_, with the dragon and St. Michael fighting in the air, a lake
and sailing-boats below, and the effigy of the fair Oursine enshrined in
the letter B.
Attempts have been made from time to time to trace throughout these
beautiful pages the different hands of the three brothers, but no
definite conclusion has been arrived at. It is, however, certain that
Pol, the greatest of the three, was the leading spirit, and that he was
the sole author of the _Calendar Months_, except that of _November_,
which, as has already been mentioned, was completed seventy years later
by Jean Colombe. In this design, and likewise in that part of the book
executed by this latter artist, the originality which fascinates us so
much in the work of the Limbourgs suddenly vanishes and we find
ourselves contemplating mediocrity. In the _Pietà_ (one of Jean
Colombe's miniatures) kneeling figures of the Duke and Duchess of Savoy
are introduced. We cannot help wondering what different results might
have been achieved had Duke Charles of Savoy, on inheriting the _Très
Riches Heures_, employed Bourdichon or Perréal to complete them--or
perhaps Simon Marmion of Valenciennes, who at that very time was
painting his celebrated altarpiece for St. Bertin. Unfortunately this
prince was not a connoisseur like his august relative the Duc de Berry,
and he was unable in consequence to distinguish great art from lesser
achievements.
[Illustration: Plate XXXIX.
Photo. Girandon
THE CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN.
Pol de Limbourg and his Brothers
From The "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry."
_To face page 178._]