EUROPE

A calendar page from the famous medieval manuscript, the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, focuses on peasants harvesting wheat and shearing sheep during July and also shows the Palace of Poitiers in France. This video examines what this detailed image reveals about life during this summer moment, as depicted in medieval art.

What did August look like in the Middle Ages? A famous illuminated manuscript gives us insight! A calendar page from the famous medieval manuscript, the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, focuses on elite pastimes such as falconry. This video examines what this detailed image reveals about life during this summer moment, as depicted in medieval art.

Speaker: Dr. Heather Graham

Created in the workshop of Robert Campin around 1430, the Mérode Altarpiece is an outstanding example of Northern Renaissance painting. In three meticulously executed panels, a scene from sacred history unfolds. Witnessed by the work’s patrons who are shown kneeling in reverence, the central panel depicts the moment of Jesus Christ’s incarnation, a scene known as the Annunciation. In this video, we explore the rich symbolic imagery that brings this story from the life of the Virgin Mary into the world of fifteenth-century Europe. We learn how objects, colors, and even style convey meaning and guide viewers of the work in their devotions.

This video focuses on a medieval manuscript illustration depicting agricultural labor in June. It comes from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. Barefoot peasants are shown raking hay and cutting grass under a clear blue sky, offering a glimpse into life in the Middle Ages. The illumination, a stunning example of medieval art, was created for Jean de Valois, Duke of Berry, around 1412–16 CE.

Speaker: Dr. Heather Graham

What did spring in May look like 600 years ago? A calendar page from the famous medieval manuscript, the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, focuses on an aristocratic procession through the woods. This video examines what this detailed image reveals about life during this Spring moment, as depicted in medieval art.

Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank