JACQUEMART DE HESDIN
(d. ca. 1411)

Les Petites Heurs du Duc Jean de Berry

1410-12
Manuscript (Ms. lat. 18014), 212 x 145 mm
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

The miniature depicting the Annunciation is from the Petite Heures of the Duc de Berry.

The Petites Heures of the Duc de Berry is less well known than the other illuminated manuscripts made for this duke, and is the smallest in size, but it is by no means inferior in quality. At least five painters were employed in the preparation of the miniatures contained in it, more than a hundred in number. The margin of this page is framed by the somewhat cruder figures of the painter known as the Master of the Passion, whereas in the central Annunciation, the more elevated and subtle style of Jacquemart de Hesdin reveals the influence of Pucelle. The Virgin and the angel stand in a Gothic church interior, a vase of flowers placed on the floor between them. The representation of space in this miniature from the Petites Heures indicates a thorough knowledge of the problems of perspective. The plasticity of the softly curving figures and the exquisite colour harmony indicate the high degree of skill of this painter at the princely court.