Leaf from a Book of Hours: St. Matthew

c. 1415–20

Leaf from a Book of Hours: St. Matthew, c. 1415–20. Follower of Limbourg Brothers (Netherlandish). Ink, tempera and gold on vellum; leaf: 18.1 x 13 cm (7 1/8 x 5 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection 2005.204 The style of this miniature can be linked to the Limbourg Brothers, celebrated Dutch miniature painters who were active in France, particularly Burgundy. They are known to have first worked for Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, and later for Duke Jean de Berry. The palette of this miniature, with its ultramarine blues, soft pink, and pale green, as well
as the crisp geometric pattern behind the figure, is typical of the Limbourgs’ work. In a book of hours, this miniature would have introduced the start of the gospel lessons. This miniature would have marked the beginning of the gospel hours in a book of hours.