French Painting in Time of Jean, Duke de Berry 2VOL by Millard Meiss These two volumes are devoted to the period 1400-1425, when the passion of French painters and their patrons for pictures in books led to one of the high points in the history of the illuminated manuscript. Of all the artists working at that time, the three Limbourg brothers remain outstanding; the major part of this publication undertakes the first comprehensive study of the Limbourgs, advancing provocative hypotheses about the nature of their collaboration and new ideas on the manuscripts they created, the originality of which proves to be far greater than has ever been supposed. Essential to these conclusions is the first close study of their earliest work, the documented Bible, which offers an exceptional insight into the early formation of a painter's style. The author concentrates on the literary, intellectual, and religious context of early fifteenth-century French painting. He examines the hitherto neglected representations of ancient history and mythology, the illustrations of Virgil and Terence and Boccaccio -- works that reflected the growing influences of French humanists who held positions with the king and princes. SC, ISBN: 0807607347 $110.00 (Can: $165.00)