Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

Reproduction of the Illuminated Manuscript belonging to the Musee Conde, Chantilly, France. Second printing, 1973. Hardback. Pages 1 - 26 (Preface and Introduction), plates and commentary unpaginated.Pubisher's red cloth with gilt to front and spine. Original slipcase with one of the illustrations pasted to front. Introduction and legends by Jean Longnon, Honorary Curator, Library, Institut de France and Raymond Cazelles, Librarian, Musee Conde. Preface ny Millard Meiss, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. Jean, Duc de Berry, the third son of JeanII, le Bon, King of France, was born in 1340 in the Chateau de Vincennes. In 1360 he received the duchies of Berry and Auvergne to which was added Poitou in 1369. Although circumstances forced Jean Duc de Berry to spend a lot of his time on politics, his passionate interest was in jewels and works of art. He also loved books which he bought and commissioned, received and offered them as gifts. His librarian was a Milanese illuminator, Pietro da Verona, who had arrived in France to sell his works and remained in the service of the Duc de Berry. The Tres Riches Heures is probably the most beautiful of the Duke's Books of Hours. The artists chosen to illuminate the Book (around 1413) were natives of Nimwegen in the Duchy of Guelders between the Meuse and the Rhine. The Limbourg brothers were exceptionally gifted and blended Northern and Italian influences within the French pictorial tradition. The Tres riches Heures as we know it, consists of 206 bound sheets fo fine vellum. Each sheet measures 29 21cms (roughly matched by this reproduction) but they would probably have been originally larger judging by the binder having cut into some of the illustrations. With some justification, Les Tres Riches Heures is often known as "le roi des manuscrits enlumines." Book in near fine condition. Slip case very good. Physically sound. Some light soiling and a small area of scuffing/surface damage to foot. Quite a heavy book but no additional shipping costs to UK postcodes.