The art of illumination

I’m late on picking up on this, but for those people who are interested in manuscripts, illumination and/or reading the Office on a regular basis, the Metropolitan Museum in New York is exhibiting one of the Duc de Berry’s more famous book of hours. If you happen to be passing through New York before June 13 “The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry” , is worth a peek, if not several hours.

The Belles Heures of the Duc de Berry is an extended devotional work, which is more than an ordinary book of hours. It also includes the life of St Catherine of Alexandria, the foundation of the Carthusian Order and the institution of the Great Litany by St Gregory the Great.

The Duc de Berry’s book belongs to the Cloisters.  The book has been unbound and the individual illuminations are on display. Visitors can take magnifying glasses and wander around looking at the beautiful devotional images.