The remarkable medieval manuscript the ‘Belles Heures du Duc de Berry’ is at the heart of a new exhibition at the Louvre. Guests staying at the Hotel Louvre Marsollier can visit between now and June 25, 2012 in order to see this precious work before it is returned to the Cloisters, a medieval museum in New York City, to be rebound.
This work was created by the Dutch medieval masters the Limbourg brothers, and it represents a truly important part of the artistic oeuvre of the Middle Ages. Forty-seven pages of the manuscript, created by the Limbourg brothers for Duke Jean de Berry, are beautifully showcased in an exhibition room at the Louvre. The history and influences of the Limbourg brothers are also revealed in order to give context to their works. Certain referenced influences can later be sought out in other rooms of the Louvre, should visitors become curious about these other Medieval masterpieces. In doing this, visitors can comprehend how the ‘Belles Heures’ was innovative in its use of composition and its conception of space, exploited in order to tell a story.
The exhibit offers several other notable works, such as illuminated manuscripts that directly inspired the Limbourg brothers in the creation of the piece the ‘Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.’ The exhibit strives to give visitors a true representation of the collection of Duke Jean de Berry, so works by the Master of Virgil, several statuettes, pendants, a fresco on silk and other manuscripts are also on display.