April Calendar Page in the Medieval Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
What did spring in April look like 600 years ago?
In a scene from the medieval illuminated manuscript known as Très Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry, nobles gather for a wedding and to pick wildflowers. And they are dressed fabulously in garments like houppelandes, cotehardies, and poulaines. The calendar pages in this book of hours blend earthly labor with celestial symbolism. The image reveals how medieval art fused reality, religion, history, and myth into a single page.
Detail of April, in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (c. 1412–16), Limbourg Brothers and other artists. Musée Condé, Chantilly, France. Photo: © Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
Video Chapters
0:00 Spring in France
0:27 Calendar Pages in a Luxury Book of Hours
1:13 Elegantly Dressed Nobles and Marriage Scene
2:56 The Symbolism of Spring
3:28 The château de Dourdan
3:58 Blossoming Flora
4:19 The Lunette and Zodiac Signs
Learn more
Find more resources about the medieval world.
Discover more about medieval Europe.
More about the Limbourg Brothers.
