The Limbourg Brothers, September. From 'Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry', c. 1411-1416. Condé Museum, Château de Chantilly, France.
The landmark exhibition of Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry currently on view at the Château de Chantilly, celebrates the restoration of this legendary manuscript, which has only been shown to the public twice since the end of the 19th century. Join us for a special ARTscapades Study Afternoon as Medieval art historian and V&A course leader Sally Dormer gives an insightful explanation of each stage of its creation which spanned nearly a century.
Particular focus is given to the figure of Jean de Berry, his lavish patronage and his taste for books. For the first time since the prince’s death in 1416, all his books of hours known to date have been collected in one place. Manuscripts, sculptures, paintings and valuable works of art provide a comprehensive overview of the context behind the creation and dissemination of the Duke’s most ambitious work.
Study afternoon - includes two lectures, Q&A and a short break. Tickets £20
Lecture One: Jean, Duc de Berry: Patron and Connoisseur
The Limbourg Brothers, detail, January. From 'Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry', c. 1411-1416. Condé Museum, Château de Chantilly, France.
Son of King Jean II of France and brother of Charles V, Jean duc de Berry (d. 1416), was the greatest patron and connoisseur of the arts in late medieval France. His library of illuminated manuscripts, collections of goldsmiths’ work set with precious stones and carved hardstones, plus ivory carvings, textiles and monumental sculpture were justly admired during his lifetime, and remain celebrated today.
Lecture Two: The Très Riches Heures
Château de Chantilly, Musée Condé MS 65, Les Très Riches Heures de Jean, duc de Berry, c. 1411-16, Bourges or Paris, the Limbourg brothers, folios 51v – 52, the Meeting of the Magi and Adoration of the Magi.
Circa 1411 Jean commissioned three young artists, Paul, Johan, and Herman Limbourg, active in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, to illustrate a special book of hours. He already possessed 17 prayer books, but this one, unfinished when Jean and the Limbourgs died in 1416, was singled out as Les Très Riches Heures in the posthumous inventory of Jean’s possessions, a reference to the lavish amounts of gold and ultramarine blue, employed in its extensive scheme of illumination.
The exhibition Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry is at the Château de Chantilly, France, from 7 June to 5 October 2025.
This event will be recorded. Ticket holders are emailed a link to view the recording afterwards which is available for one month. Proceeds from ARTscapades ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live with Q&A, or on-demand for one month afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.