Art History: Très Riches Heures, Giotto, Botticelli & More

Who were the patrons of the Très Riches Heures?

Jean, Duke of Berry.

What is the medium of the Très Riches Heures?

Illuminated manuscript on vellum (tempera, ink, and gold leaf).

What important innovation did the Limbourg Brothers contribute with the Très Riches Heures?

Advanced naturalism, detailed landscapes, atmospheric perspective, and integration of daily life into sacred calendar cycles.

What is happening in the January page of the Très Riches Heures?

The Duke of Berry hosts a lavish New Year's feast with courtiers and servants.

How does the setting of the January page contribute to the meaning?

The banquet hall and winter details emphasize the Duke's wealth and reinforce the order of time through the calendar.

Who commissioned the Arena Chapel frescoes?

Enrico Scrovegni, a wealthy banker.

What medium did Giotto use for Christ's Entry into Jerusalem?

Fresco (buon fresco, pigment on wet plaster).

What was Giotto's major innovation?

Naturalism: figures with volume, believable gestures, spatial depth, and emotional interaction.

What is the subject of Christ's Entry into Jerusalem?

Christ enters Jerusalem on a donkey, greeted by citizens with palm branches, followed by apostles.

How does the setting of Christ's Entry into Jerusalem contribute to meaning?

Simplified city gate and rocky landscape place the sacred event in a believable human world, foreshadowing the Passion.

Who likely commissioned Botticelli's Birth of Venus?

Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici (Medici family).

What medium did Botticelli use for the Birth of Venus?

Tempera on canvas (unusual for the time).

What innovation did Botticelli contribute in the Birth of Venus?

Revival of classical pagan themes, Neoplatonic interpretation of beauty and divine love, decorative linear style.

Who are the figures in the Birth of Venus?

Venus on a shell, Zephyrus and a nymph blowing her ashore, and a Hora rushing to clothe her.

How does the setting of the Birth of Venus contribute to meaning?

Dreamlike seashore emphasizes allegory — Venus as symbol of ideal beauty and divine truth.

What is the medium of the Mérode Triptych?

Oil on wood panel.

Who were the patrons of the Mérode Triptych?

A wealthy Flemish merchant family (the donors appear on the left panel).

What was Campin's major innovation in the Mérode Triptych?

Early Netherlandish oil technique; blending sacred subject with detailed domestic setting.

What is the subject of the central panel of the Mérode Triptych?

The Annunciation: Gabriel announcing to Mary that she will bear Christ.

What symbols appear in the domestic setting of the Mérode Triptych?

Lilies (purity), book (piety), candle (divine presence).

How does the setting of the Mérode Triptych contribute to meaning?

Makes the sacred event intimate and relatable by placing it in a Flemish home, showing God in everyday life.