121. The Limbourg Brothers,
Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry:
The Temptation of Christ, c. 1412-1416.

Musée Condé, Chantilly (France).

 

 

In the fourteenth century an entire system was created for the illustration of romances: the small miniatures, which are squarely framed, are placed within the two or three columns of the text. The illustrations were usually combined with initials or placed adjacently; they are frequently accompanied by an ornamental fragment on the margin. An example of an erstwhile exquisite, later common margin décor is the illumination of a book of hours that represents the Parisian variant of Franco-Flemish art. These miniatures show the rich and complex coloration of the era of Charles VI.

 

After the devastating defeat of Agincourt by the English on 25 October, 1415, the country faced its most difficult stage in the Hundred Years War. The effects this war had on French art were profound. The kingdom split up and the resulting regions sometimes even fought each other. Conquered and destroyed by the English, Paris lost its central role. The development of painting continued elsewhere. The artists fled from the ruined capital to the South of the country, to Burgundy, the shores of the Loire, or even abroad. The second half of the fifteenth century, which was the most fruitful time for Italian and Dutch masters, was the most unproductive period in French art, including illuminations. The miniatures of these years had no creative verve, and merely used existing techniques.