»Les Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame«, a highlight of medieval illumination

At the end of the 14th century, Jean de France, Duke of Berry, commissioned one of the greatest book projects, a Book of Hours and Missal in one, the "Très Belles Heures". A very ambitious and impressive project, it took generations of the best artists from the end of the 14th to the mid-15th century to achieve.

From the Limburg brothers to Jan van Eyck

A wide range of illuminators contributed to its making, from the master of the "Parement de Narbonne" to the famous Limburg brothers and Jan van Eyck. The colourful illustrated pages were decorated with golden interlaced vines and surrounded with countless marginal figures dramatically underlining the narrative in the main miniature with their gestures. Today, this work is praised because of its unprecedented luminosity, rich decorative apparatus and filigree initials and considered one of the finest books in the world.

A three-piece manuscript

The Très Belles Heures consist of three sections: a Book of Hours section (the Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame, today in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, finished by French painters before the death of the duke) and another section encompassing a Missal and a Prayer Book, accomplished in the first half of the 15th century by artists from the Low Countries and later transferred to Italy where it was again divided. One half, the Missal section (the Turin-Milan Hours, today in the Museo Civico in Turn) was brought to Milan; the second, a prayer book (the Turin Prayer Book ) to Turin where it was lost in a fire that distroyed the royal library, except for four sheets which had been stolen and are today kept in the Louvre (the Leaves in the Louvre ). By a lucky coincidence, all miniature pages had been photographed in black and white shortly before and are now reproduced in full in the present art book.

The complete trilogy of the »Très Belles Heures« in a colourful art book edition

For the very first time, all three sections of the manuscript are compiled in an art book. All miniatures of the complete work of the Très Belles Heures are reproduced on the 270 pages of this edition, including 303 colour tables and the burnt Turin portion in black and white.

Numerous detailed pictures and magnifications allow the art lover to discover even the finest details of this magnificent piece of illumination.

With his fascinating explanations, Prof. Eberhard König provides access to this testimony of the luminous world of the Middle Ages. From now on, it will be possible to see the "Très Belles Heures" as a unity, as the Duke of Berry had always wished.

The limited luxury edition with two original facsimile sheets