The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry is one of the most famous medieval manuscripts. This video is about the September page, which shows peasants harvesting grapes, donkeys hauling baskets, and the Château de Saumur in the background. One detail even shows a peasant bending over, like he might moon us! This manuscript is a Book of Hours, and it blends images of daily life, zodiac symbolism, and feast days from the Catholic Church.

Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

Image: September, in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (c. 1412–16), Limbourg Brothers and later artists. Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.

Standards Alignment

C3 Framework for Social Studies:

• D2.His.1.6-8 – Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts

• D2.His.2.6-8 – Classify historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity

• D2.His.4.6-8 – Analyze multiple factors that influenced perspectives of people during different eras

• D2.His.14.6-8 – Explain multiple causes and effects of events and developments in the past

• D2.His.6.9-12 – Analyze how people’s perspectives shaped the sources they produced

• D2.Geo.5.6-8 – Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by geographic context