Art Throb #17: February, from The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1412-1416) by the Limbourg Brothers (1385-1416)

The Limbourg Brothers, February, from 'The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry' (1412-1416)

Illumination on vellum

Height: 22.5 cm (8.9 in), width: 13.6 cm (5.4 in)

 Kept as Ms.65, Musée Condé, Chantilly

The cold is palpable and the peasants seem under-dressed by today's standards. The painting is a depiction of people hard at work in the hardest of weathers, and it's hard not to empathise with them. It also shows that even as far back as the early 15th Century, art was not just about depicting rich people (unless its function in depicting peasants hard at work was as propaganda, to keep people in their place). Nevertheless, the snow makes everything look clean and tidy, and this is a very orderly scene. Everything and everyone is indeed in its place. Yet it is not too austere as to be devoid of humanity, and it is not without humour. The parts depicting the humans are like little tableaux, amusing scenes within the whole scene, and which could stand alone. Those men warming themselves by the fire, for example, are certainly well-endowed! (could they be self-portraits?)

The image has a function beyond representation, amusement and possible propaganda, however. The Limbourg brothers specialised in miniaturism and its dimensions are tiny – it is meant to be portable. Above the picture we see the signs of the zodiac corresponding to February, a format that identifies it as a Book of Hours, while its style dates it as International Gothic – problems with proportion and perspective still exist in art. February is part of a late medieval illuminated manuscript, a text now known as The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1412-1416) which, according to Wikipedia, is "possibly the most valuable book in the world".

Created by the Limbourg Brothers for the Duke of Berry, it is a richly-illustrated book of prayers and readings. Such texts became known as books of hours due to their regular reading at the set times of the liturgical day. The Limbourg brothers – Herman, Paul, and Johan – were famous Dutch miniature painters from the city of Nijmegen, working in early 15th century France and Burgundy. Not much is known about them or the lives they led, but their estimated dates – 1385-1416 – are heartbreaking. I have been unable to find out how or why they died so young but at least their legacy lives on. Their Très Riches Heures is possibly the best example of French Gothic manuscript illumination known to be surviving to the present day.