The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry Timothy B. Husband One of the most lavishly illustrated codices of the Middle Ages, the Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry (ca. 1405-1408/9), is the only manuscript with miniatures executed in its entirely by the famed Limbourg brothers. Commissioned by its royal patron, this richly illuminated Book of Hours, intended for private devotion and now housed in The Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, belonged to the duke’s large collection of prized possessions. The luminous scenes depicting the legends of the saints, the Hours of the Virgin, and the like, many with elaborately designed borders, exemplify the transcendent splendor of the Limbourg brothers’ talents. Jean de France, duc de Berry - the son, brother, and uncle of three successive kings of France - commissioned the Belles Heures as an addition to his luxurious possessions. [...] A discriminating patron, Jean de France selected the Limbourg brothers to create this Book of Hours, allowing the young boys (who were in their early teens throughout the duration of the project) a rare latitude for inventively designing the work. In this volume, the Limbourgs provided the customary components of a Book of Hours, including readings from the Gospels and prayers to the Virgin. The Belles Heures however, was elevated to unprecedented heights by the addition of seven "picture book" insertions. […] Timothy Bates Husband is curator, Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.