Millard Meiss Libri

Art History

Cited as 'one of the miracles of art history' by Kenneth Clark, the Tres Riches Heures is the most luxurious and most famous of such books and marks the zenith of manuscript illumination in late medieval Europe. Commissioned by the influential patron, Jean de Berry, in the early years of the fifteenth century, this masterpiece was executed by the three Limbourg brothers, the greatest miniaturists of the time. The manuscript opens with a calendar illustrating scenes of daily life during the twelve months and is followed by the prayers of offices celebrated at different times of the day. These texts are often accompanied by miniatures, in which the artists' imaginative and decorative genius are fully revealed. The personal approach of the Limbourgs to nature, human activity, and beauty represents the transition from medieval attitudes to those of the Renaissance. Their elegant images, in fact, were to influence the course of painting in France and all of northern Europe. This edition reproduces each of the miniatures in the Tres Riches Heures in full color and to exact scale. With 139 color plates.

A catalogue raisonné. Concerned with the period 1400-1425 when the passion of French painters and their patrons for pictures in books made it one of the high points in the history of illuminated manuscripts. Here the author presents the first comprehensive study of the Limbourg brothers who, in the service of the Duke of Berry, produced the famous BELLES HEURES, and TRÉS RICHES HEURES as well as several earlier works. The work of the Rohan Master is also discussed. Volume One is the text volume, which also contains several appendices, chapter notes, a bibliography and index. Volume Two is devoted to the 898 illustrations, 35 in color, including all the miniatures of the Limbourgs in the TRÉS HEURES RICHES, and all their work in an earlier bible. The illustrations are indexed, with the present locations of the original manuscripts given. Dust jackets price clipped. x, 533; unpaginated. cloth decorated with heraldic medallion, dust jackets.. 4to..

Discusses history,style and techniques of some of the world's most splendid monumental paintings.

Geïllustreerd / Illustrated / Illustré / Illustriert / / Miniatures / Duits / German / Allemand / Deutsch / hard cover / dust jacket / 22 x 31 cm / 139 .pp /