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Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame

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description Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame Overview

The Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame is a richly illuminated devotional manuscript commissioned by Jean, Duke of Berry, around the end of the 14th century. Its contents include prayers and offices associated with a Book of Hours, decorated over several stages by different groups of artists. The manuscript was later divided, and surviving sections are held in separate collections; parts formerly kept in Turin were damaged or destroyed in a 1904 library fire.

help Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame FAQ

Is the Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame the same manuscript as the Turin-Milan Hours?

They originated as parts of one unusually ambitious devotional manuscript but were separated early in its history. The Book of Hours portion is now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, while other sections became known as the Turin-Milan Hours.

Who commissioned the Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame?

The manuscript is associated with the great collector Jean, Duke of Berry, and work began around the late 14th century. Scholars have debated whether he was the original commissioner, but it was certainly in his possession by the early 15th century.

Did Jan van Eyck illuminate the Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame?

The original project passed through several artistic campaigns, and later portions of the related Turin-Milan Hours have been attributed to artists associated with Jan van Eyck. The earliest French illumination is linked instead to the Master of the Narbonne Parement and other hands.

Where can the Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame be seen today?

The principal Book of Hours survives in Paris at the Bibliothèque nationale de France as NAL 3093. Leaves and related sections from the divided project also survive in Turin, the Louvre, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

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