The parents of the brothers Herman, Paul and Jean de Limbourg (born in Nijmegen between 1385 and 1388) were the engraver, Arnold de Limbourg, and Metchilde Malouel, the sister of the painter to the court of Philip ‘the Bold’ of Bourgogne. The brothers’ early years were spent in Nijmegen and Paris, where, in the early fifteenth century, they produced a Bible Moralisée. They soon entered the service of Philip’s brother, Jean de France, duc de Berry, who commissioned the Belles Heures from them – an absolute masterpiece that showcases the painterly refinement of the brothers’ work and their innovatory approach to narrative content. The Belles Heures is now at New York’s Metropolitan Museum.
Their patron, most impressed with their capabilities, frequently rewarded the Limbourg brothers for their work, also with gifts of considerable value. In turn, the brothers produced works of extraordinary merit capable of satisfying their patron’s insatiable desire for manuscripts (the manuscripts were, over time, to become increasingly refined and lavish). Among the most famous of these works, we note Les Très Riches Heures, Les Grandes Heures and Les Petites Heures. Between the autumn of 1415 and the spring of 1416 the three brothers died. No one knows exactly how. Perhaps due to an accident while travelling or, as is more likely, as victims of a plague. A few months later, their patron also died.
The other great illuminator to whom we owe the codex (which was left incomplete on the death of the Limbourg brothers) is Jean Colombe. Colombe (Bourges, circa 1430-1435-Bourges, 1493) was the master of one of the most important of the city’s workshops dedicated to manuscript embellishment, reaching the peak of his career between 1470 and 1480. Apart from his work on completing the Chantilly codex, he is also renowned for his works for leading patrons, including Les Heures of Louis de Laval and the Romuléon, produced for the admiral, Louis Malet de Graville. His style is quite different from that of the Limbourg brothers; we see a certain hardness in the features of the figures and also note that the scenes frequently feature uplands or mountains with extraordinarily beautiful cities, castles and lakes.

The parents of the brothers Herman, Paul and Jean de Limbourg (born in Nijmegen between 1385 and 1388) were the engraver, Arnold de Limbourg, and Metchilde Malouel, the sister of the painter to the court of Philip ‘the Bold’ of Bourgogne. The brothers’ early years were spent in Nijmegen and Paris, where, in the early fifteenth century, they produced a Bible Moralisée. They soon entered the service of Philip’s brother, Jean de France, duc de Berry, who commissioned the Belles Heures from them – an absolute masterpiece that showcases the painterly refinement of the brothers’ work and their innovatory approach to narrative content. The Belles Heures is now at New York’s Metropolitan Museum.
Their patron, most impressed with their capabilities, frequently rewarded the Limbourg brothers for their work, also with gifts of considerable value. In turn, the brothers produced works of extraordinary merit capable of satisfying their patron’s insatiable desire for manuscripts (the manuscripts were, over time, to become increasingly refined and lavish). Among the most famous of these works, we note Les Très Riches Heures, Les Grandes Heures and Les Petites Heures. Between the autumn of 1415 and the spring of 1416 the three brothers died. No one knows exactly how. Perhaps due to an accident while travelling or, as is more likely, as victims of a plague. A few months later, their patron also died.
The other great illuminator to whom we owe the codex (which was left incomplete on the death of the Limbourg brothers) is Jean Colombe. Colombe (Bourges, circa 1430-1435-Bourges, 1493) was the master of one of the most important of the city’s workshops dedicated to manuscript embellishment, reaching the peak of his career between 1470 and 1480. Apart from his work on completing the Chantilly codex, he is also renowned for his works for leading patrons, including Les Heures of Louis de Laval and the Romuléon, produced for the admiral, Louis Malet de Graville. His style is quite different from that of the Limbourg brothers; we see a certain hardness in the features of the figures and also note that the scenes frequently feature uplands or mountains with extraordinarily beautiful cities, castles and lakes.