Problems of style in the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

Abstract

A compendium of artistic achievement, the Tres Riches Heures du Due de Berry poses many problems of a stylistic nature for the art historian. Although it is verified in a famous inventory entry around the year 1416 that the famous Book of Hours is the work of the Limbourg brothers and the collaborators of their "atelier," there are no records extant which designate the portions or aspects of the manuscript for which each hand is responsible. As a result of this paucity of information, many theories have been proposed as a solution for the classification of various artists. Approaching the problem negatively, Durrieu claims that an analysis of the illustrations is futile since medieval miniaturists were so specialized that one page could possibly be the product of several painters. Hulin de Loo, on the other hand, realizing the merits of such an investigation, suggests a category of his own but invalidates his research by making it conform to the historical data of three brothers as well as to the currents of naturalism, mannerism, and Italian influence so prevalent at the time [TRUNCATED].