часослов герцога Беррийского

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«Великолепный часослов герцога Беррийского», иначе «Роскошный часослов герцога Беррийского» (фр. Tr;s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry) — иллюстрированная рукопись XV века. Наиболее прославленные изображения часослова — цикл «Времена года» из 12 миниатюр с изображением развлечений знати или крестьянских работ на фоне средневековых замков.

Была заказана герцогом Жаном Беррийским миниатюристам братьям Полю, Жану и Эрману Лимбургам в 1410—1411 годах и осталась незавершённой после смерти трёх художников и их заказчика в 1416 году. Рукопись, вероятно, была дополнена в календарной части анонимным мастером в 1440—1450-х годах. Некоторые историки искусства считают, что этим художником был Бартелеми д’Эйк. В 1485—1486 годах манускрипт был доработан художником Жаном Коломбом по заказу Карла I Савойского, однако часть листов его авторства остались незавершёнными. Приобретённый герцогом Омальским в 1856 году, часослов хранится в его замке Шантийи (в настоящее время — Музей Конде, инв. № Ms. 65). Вместе с поместьем и находящимся в нём собранием произведений искусства часослов был передан герцогом французскому государству; по его завещанию, манускрипт, как и другие экспонаты, никогда не должен покидать пределов Шантийи[1].

What is the role of The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry in creation of Month theory by Pieter Bruegel. Was is farfetsched ?
The calendar pages in the Tr;s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry) directly influenced Pieter Bruegel the Elder's series of paintings known as The Months. This influence was not "far-fetched"; in fact, the illuminated manuscript is considered a key antecedent for Bruegel's work.
The Influence of Tr;s Riches Heures
The Tr;s Riches Heures, created by the Limbourg brothers between 1412 and 1416, is a stunning illuminated manuscript. Its calendar pages are a unique and important part of its legacy. Each month is depicted on a full page, showing the corresponding seasonal activities and landscapes. These depictions are groundbreaking for their detailed and realistic portrayal of both aristocratic life and the labors of the peasantry, set against specific, identifiable locations.
Pioneering Genre Painting: The manuscript's focus on scenes of daily life, agricultural work, and social events for each month was a departure from traditional, purely religious art. This helped establish a new artistic tradition of genre painting (scenes of everyday life).
Cycles of the Year: The Tr;s Riches Heures popularized the artistic concept of a "cycle of the months" or "labors of the months," showing the annual rhythm of life.
Bruegel's "Months" and the Evolution of the Genre
Pieter Bruegel the Elder's series, The Months (1565), is a direct evolution of this tradition. While the Limbourg brothers used a small, delicate format for a private prayer book, Bruegel created large-scale oil paintings for a wealthy merchant's home. Bruegel took the concept to a new level by:
Focus on Landscape: Bruegel's paintings are expansive landscapes where human activity is often secondary to the vast, encompassing view of nature. The human figures, whether hunting in the snow or harvesting crops, are part of the larger landscape rather than the central focus.
Realism and Social Commentary: Bruegel's detailed, realistic portrayals of peasant life captured the essence of the seasons. His works, like The Hunters in the Snow or The Harvesters, are less about an idealized court life and more about the raw, honest depiction of rural existence.
Therefore, the Tr;s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry provided the foundational concept for depicting a cycle of the year through seasonal activities. Bruegel, about 150 years later, built upon this tradition by scaling up the format, shifting the focus to landscape, and imbuing the genre with a new sense of realism and humanism. The connection is a clear and well-documented link in the history of art.
Die Bruegel own the copy?
There is no historical evidence that Pieter Bruegel the Elder owned a copy of the Tr;s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. At the time Bruegel was active in the 16th century, the manuscript was not widely known or accessible.
The Tr;s Riches Heures was a private, commissioned work for the Duke of Berry, and after his death in 1416, it was held in various private collections for centuries. It was not until the mid-19th century that the manuscript was rediscovered and studied by art historians.
It's highly unlikely Bruegel would have had direct access to the work. However, the tradition of creating art cycles based on the months of the year, which the Limbourg brothers pioneered in the Tr;s Riches Heures, became a popular genre. Bruegel would have been familiar with this established artistic convention through other works and prints, not the original manuscript itself. He took this tradition and reinterpreted it on a grand scale, shifting the focus from aristocratic life to the struggles and labors of the peasantry, and elevating landscape to a central theme.
Bur how did Bruegel know about what was inside?
Bruegel likely never saw the Tr;s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry itself. The manuscript was a private luxury item that was not widely circulated. Instead, Bruegel was a part of a long-established artistic tradition of depicting the "Labors of the Months" and seasons, which had developed and spread through other media over a century.
The Influence of a Tradition, not a Single Manuscript
Bruegel's knowledge came from the artistic tradition that the Tr;s Riches Heures helped to popularize, not from direct access to the book. This tradition was kept alive through:
Other Illuminated Manuscripts: Many other "Books of Hours" and manuscripts from the 15th and 16th centuries included similar calendar cycles. These were a common feature in European art, and Bruegel, as an artist, would have been familiar with them.
Prints: The advent of printmaking in the 15th century made it possible to reproduce images on a wider scale. While direct prints of the Tr;s Riches Heures didn't exist, the themes and compositions of seasonal labors were disseminated through prints and engravings by artists in the intervening years.
Other Media: The "Labors of the Months" were not confined to manuscripts. They were a popular subject for reliefs on church facades, stained-glass windows, and tapestries. This showed that the theme of a cyclical, seasonal calendar was a widespread motif in European art and culture.
In essence, Bruegel built upon a visual vocabulary that had evolved from the original innovation of the Limbourg brothers. He took the established genre and transformed it, shifting the focus from the aristocratic past of the Tr;s Riches Heures to the rural, realistic world of his own time, and making landscape the primary subject.
I don't see any immediate connection to the original. It all hear and say
It's a valid point that there's no direct, "smoking gun" evidence of a connection. However, the influence isn't based on Bruegel owning the manuscript, but on the widespread artistic tradition it helped to establish. Think of it like a popular song: you don't need to have the original vinyl record to know the tune; you hear it on the radio, in covers by other artists, and in commercials.
1. The Very Rich Hours as a Trendsetter
The Tr;s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry wasn't a one-of-a-kind oddity; it was a groundbreaking and influential work that set a trend. Its detailed calendar pages, depicting the "Labors of the Months" through scenes of peasant and aristocratic life, were a revolutionary approach to illustrating time and seasons. Other artists saw this concept and adopted it.
2. The Spread of Ideas in the 15th and 16th Centuries
By the time Bruegel was working in the 16th century, the themes and conventions of the Tr;s Riches Heures had been widely disseminated. This was not through a single, direct lineage, but through the normal flow of artistic ideas:
Other Manuscripts: Numerous other "Books of Hours" were created, many of which copied or were inspired by the original's calendar format. These were more widely owned and circulated among the wealthy.
Prints and Engravings: The advent of the printing press and the rise of printmaking in the 15th century were key. Artists could reproduce their work and send it to new markets, spreading compositional ideas and thematic trends across Europe.
Artistic Apprenticeship: Bruegel would have trained in workshops where such traditions were passed down from master to apprentice. He would have been familiar with the general artistic vocabulary for depicting seasonal activities, even if he never saw the specific Limbourg brothers' masterpiece.
3. Bruegel's Reinterpretation
Bruegel's genius wasn't in simply copying the Tr;s Riches Heures, but in transforming the tradition. While the medieval manuscript showed idyllic scenes of courtly life, Bruegel's The Months series shifted the focus to the everyday life of the peasantry. His large-scale oil paintings also gave unprecedented importance to the landscape, making the environment as much a character as the people within it.
So, while there is no "immediate connection" in the sense of Bruegel having the manuscript in hand, the connection is clear from an art history perspective. He took a well-established artistic convention, refined by over a century of development, and created his own masterful version.
Who else was influenced by Tr;s Riches Heures? Bosch?
That's a great question, and it highlights the complex way artistic ideas spread.
The Tr;s Riches Heures had a profound and widespread influence, not just on Bruegel but on the development of Northern European art as a whole. Its impact was primarily in two key areas:
The Rise of Realistic Landscape and Genre Painting: The manuscript's detailed, naturalistic landscapes and scenes of daily life were a major innovation. They moved art beyond purely religious or symbolic settings and paved the way for the Northern Renaissance's focus on observable reality.
The "Labors of the Months" as a Genre: The creation of a unified, large-scale visual cycle of the year's seasons and activities became a popular theme for artists to explore.
Key Artists and Works Influenced
Barth;lemy d'Eyck: A prominent 15th-century painter, d'Eyck is believed to have worked on some of the unfinished pages of the Tr;s Riches Heures after the Limbourg brothers' deaths. This is a clear, direct connection that shows the manuscript was a living document that influenced other artists even in its own time.
Jan van Eyck: While there's no evidence of a direct influence on Jan van Eyck from the Tr;s Riches Heures itself, he was a key figure in the same artistic tradition. Van Eyck's meticulous realism and attention to detail in works like the Ghent Altarpiece and the Arnolfini Portrait are part of the same broader movement toward naturalism and observable reality that the Limbourg brothers pioneered in manuscript illumination.
Netherlandish Landscape Painting (16th and 17th centuries): Following Bruegel's lead, the genre of pure landscape painting exploded in popularity in the Netherlands. Artists like Joachim Patinir and later, the great Dutch masters of the 17th century, elevated landscape to a primary subject, a development that can be traced back to the detailed, atmospheric landscapes in the Tr;s Riches Heures and Bruegel's reinterpretation of them.
What about Bosch?
The connection between the Tr;s Riches Heures and Hieronymus Bosch is much less direct and more a matter of parallel artistic trends than a clear influence.
Different Focus: While the Limbourg brothers were known for their naturalism, Bosch's work is famously surreal and allegorical. His focus was on moral and religious satire, populated by grotesque creatures and fantastical scenes of sin and damnation. This is a very different artistic purpose from the Limbourg brothers' meticulous depiction of daily life.
A Shared Context: Both Bosch and the Limbourg brothers were part of the broader Northern European artistic tradition that valued intricate detail and complex symbolism. However, Bosch's specific style—which seems to draw more on medieval popular culture, proverbs, and allegorical literature—is not seen as a direct extension of the realistic landscapes and genre scenes found in the Tr;s Riches Heures.
In short, while the Tr;s Riches Heures was a seminal work that influenced a whole line of Northern Renaissance artists who valued realism, the connection to Bosch is not a direct one. Their works represent different—though equally fascinating—branches of the same artistic tree.
It was another artist who influenced Bruegel in landscapes. His name starts with P
You're thinking of Joachim Patinir (c. 1480–1524). He is a pivotal figure in the development of Northern European landscape painting, and his influence on Bruegel's work is widely recognized by art historians.
Patinir's Contribution
Patinir is credited with being one of the first artists to specialize in landscape painting. Before him, landscapes were almost always a secondary element—a backdrop for religious or historical scenes. Patinir reversed this hierarchy. His key innovation was the "world landscape" (Weltlandschaft), a panoramic, bird's-eye view that presents a vast, often fantastical vista. These paintings typically feature:
A high viewpoint: The viewer looks down on the scene from above.
Layered composition: Patinir used a distinct color scheme of brown in the foreground, green in the middle ground, and blue in the background to create a sense of vast distance and atmosphere.
Small, religious figures: Though the landscape is the main subject, a religious story (like the "Rest on the Flight into Egypt" or "St. Jerome in a Rocky Landscape") is still included, but the figures are tiny and almost swallowed by the grandeur of the landscape.
How Bruegel Built on Patinir's Legacy
Bruegel was deeply influenced by this tradition of the "world landscape" but, as with the Tr;s Riches Heures, he took it in a new direction.
Elevated Realism: While Patinir's landscapes were often imaginary and fantastical, Bruegel's were more grounded in reality. After his trip across the Alps to Italy, Bruegel's paintings gained a new sense of geological accuracy and naturalism. He was famous for "swallowing the mountains and spitting them out on canvas," as a biographer put it.
The Human Element: Bruegel integrated the human figures more organically into the landscape. His peasants are not just small props in a religious scene; they are the central, and often sympathetic, subjects, fully participating in the environment.
Thematic Focus: Bruegel's landscapes were not just about the beauty of nature; they were vehicles for social commentary, moral allegories, and the exploration of the cycles of life and seasons, as seen in his Months series.
So, while Patinir pioneered the genre of the independent landscape, Bruegel perfected it. He moved it from a religious-themed spectacle to a deeply human and observational art form.
Did Bruegel see Mona Lisa or at least a copy of it?
It's extremely unlikely that Bruegel ever saw Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, or even a high-quality copy of it. The timing and circumstances make it almost impossible.
Here's why:
The Mona Lisa's Location: Leonardo da Vinci brought the painting with him when he moved to France in 1516 to work for King Francis I. After Leonardo's death in 1519, the king acquired the painting. For the rest of the 16th century and beyond, the Mona Lisa remained in the French royal collection, first at the Palace of Fontainebleau and later at Versailles. It was a private possession of the French monarch, not a public artwork on display.
Bruegel's Trip to Italy: Bruegel traveled to Italy around 1552-1554. His known itinerary took him through various parts of Italy, including Rome and Naples, but there is no evidence that he ever traveled to France during this period or at any other time. He was in Italy to see the Roman ruins and the works of Italian masters, but the Mona Lisa was in France at the time.
Lack of Prints and Reproductions: The Mona Lisa was not widely known or copied in the 16th century in the way it is today. Printmaking was a nascent industry, and while copies of some famous Italian artworks did circulate, they were not of the Mona Lisa in any widespread way. The painting's fame truly exploded much later, in the 19th and 20th centuries.
While Bruegel's time in Italy was transformative for his landscape art, his focus was on absorbing the grandeur of the Alps and the natural world, as well as the work of artists who influenced his style, like Patinir. He was not looking for a specific, private portrait that was locked away in a king's palace in another country.
The story of the Tr;s Riches Heures and Bruegel is one of influence through a shared artistic tradition, while the story of the Mona Lisa and Bruegel is one of two artists working in different countries and cultural spheres, with no historical reason to believe their paths, or their art, ever directly crossed.
I'm pointing at the landscape as a backdrop in Mona Lisa
You've made a great point. The landscape in the Mona Lisa is indeed a fascinating element, and it's a key part of what makes Leonardo's work so significant. While Bruegel likely never saw the painting, the way Leonardo used landscape as a backdrop is a crucial point of comparison to Bruegel's work.
Leonardo's Landscape in the Mona Lisa
The landscape behind the Mona Lisa is not just a simple backdrop; it's an integral part of the painting's meaning and aesthetic.
Atmospheric Perspective (Sfumato): Leonardo was a master of sfumato (Italian for "smoky"). This technique involves blurring lines and creating a soft, hazy effect, especially in the background. In the Mona Lisa, this makes the distant mountains and rivers seem as if they are viewed through a veil of moisture in the atmosphere, creating a deep sense of space and distance.
Idealized and Imaginary: While art historians have debated whether the landscape in the Mona Lisa is based on a real location (like views near the Arno River or Lake Como), the consensus is that it is a composite and idealized landscape. Leonardo's notebooks show he was a keen observer of geology and botany, but he often recombined these observations into a new, harmonious vision that served the painting's overall theme.
Connection to the Subject: The landscape is not separate from the figure. The subtle curves of the woman's hair and clothes are echoed in the winding paths and rivers behind her. This creates a sense of cosmic harmony, reflecting Leonardo's belief in the connection between man and nature.
The Contrast with Bruegel's Approach
This is where the distinction between the two artists becomes so clear.
Bruegel's Focus on the Human Condition: While Leonardo's landscape serves an idealized, intellectual purpose, Bruegel's landscapes are often the main subject, a vast and powerful force that dwarfs the human figures. In The Months series, the landscape isn't a beautiful backdrop; it's the very environment in which human life unfolds. The landscape dictates the activities of the people, from the backbreaking labor of harvesting to the simple joy of ice skating.
A Different Kind of Realism: Bruegel's realism is more earthy and observational. He was a master of capturing the details of peasant life, the specific kinds of trees in a Brabant forest, or the feeling of a cold winter's day. While Leonardo's realism was based on scientific principles and idealized form, Bruegel's was based on a more direct, lived experience of the world around him.
So, while both Leonardo and Bruegel were masters of landscape, they used it to completely different ends. Leonardo used it to express intellectual and cosmic harmony within a portrait, while Bruegel used it to depict the brutal, beautiful, and cyclical reality of human existence on Earth.


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Welche Rolle spielten die „Kleinen Stunden des Herzogs von Berry“ bei der Entstehung der Monatstheorie von Pieter Bruegel? War das an den Haaren herbeigezogen?
Elke Schlegelmilch<schlegelmilche@googlemail.com>
;You;;Elke Schlegelmilch;
Eine direkte Verbindung zwischen den „Kleinen Stunden des Herzogs von Berry“ (Petites Heures du Duc de Berry) und Pieter Bruegels Monatstheorie ist nicht belegt und w;re kunsthistorisch an den Haaren herbeigezogen. Die Petites Heures sind ein beleuchtetes Stundenbuch aus dem sp;ten 14. Jahrhundert, w;hrend Bruegels Monatsbilder im 16. Jahrhundert entstanden. Sie stammen aus v;llig unterschiedlichen Epochen und geografischen Regionen (Frankreich vs. Flandern) und repr;sentieren verschiedene k;nstlerische Ans;tze.

Die Rolle der Monatsbilder im Mittelalter ;;
Die Darstellung von Jahreszeiten und Monatsarbeiten, wie sie in Bruegels Werk vorkommt, war ein g;ngiges Thema in der mittelalterlichen Kunst. Sie diente der Veranschaulichung landwirtschaftlicher, jagdlicher und h;fischer T;tigkeiten im Laufe des Jahres. Solche Monatsbilderzyklen waren besonders in Stundenb;chern wie den Petites Heures oder den bekannteren Tr;s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry verbreitet. Diese Miniaturen wurden oft in Kalenderseiten integriert und zeigten die Aktivit;ten des jeweiligen Monats.

Die Bedeutung im Stundenbuch: Die Monatsbilder in Stundenb;chern hatten haupts;chlich einen liturgischen und kalendarischen Zweck. Sie verbanden die fromme Lekt;re mit dem zyklischen Ablauf der Natur und des l;ndlichen Lebens.
Bruegels innovativer Ansatz ;
Pieter Bruegel d. ;. nahm dieses traditionelle Thema auf, revolutionierte es jedoch. Anstatt kleine, ornamentale Miniaturen zu schaffen, malte er gro;formatige, realistische ;lgem;lde. W;hrend in den mittelalterlichen Stundenb;chern die menschliche T;tigkeit im Vordergrund stand, r;ckte Bruegel die Landschaft in den Mittelpunkt. Die Menschen sind nicht mehr nur isolierte Figuren, sondern integraler Bestandteil einer weitl;ufigen, atmosph;rischen Szenerie. Bruegel nutzte die Monatsbilder, um die Beziehung zwischen Mensch, Natur und dem Kosmos zu erforschen.

Wichtigste Unterschiede:
Ma;stab: Kleine Miniaturen vs. gro;e Gem;lde
Fokus: Menschliche Arbeit im Vordergrund vs. Landschaft im Vordergrund
Kontext: Liturgisches Buch vs. eigenst;ndiges Kunstwerk f;r einen Kunstsammler (Bruegels M;zen Niclaes Jonghelinck)
Es ist daher korrekt, zu sagen, dass Bruegel die Idee der Monatsbilder aus einer allgemeinen Tradition der mittelalterlichen Kunst ;bernahm, die auch in Werken wie den Stundenb;chern des Herzogs von Berry zu finden ist. Eine direkte, kausale Beziehung oder Inspiration durch die Petites Heures zu Bruegels spezifischem Werk besteht jedoch nicht. Sein Ansatz war eine radikale Neuerung, die die Landschaftsmalerei ma;geblich pr;gen sollte.