March: Peasants at Work on a Feudal Estate - Limbourg brothers

A detailed medieval illumination from the Très Riches Heures, depicting agricultural life and the Château de Lusignan during the month of March.

This image originates from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a famous book of hours commissioned by Jean, Duke of Berry. The Limbourg brothers, Herman, Paul, and Jean, executed the work during the early fifteenth century. The scene depicts the month of March, focusing on agricultural activities typical of the period. In the foreground, a peasant guides a team of oxen pulling a plough through a field. Behind him, other figures tend to the vines within enclosed plots. The composition is dominated by the Château de Lusignan, a residence of the Duke, which sits atop a hill in the middle ground. The architecture is rendered with attention to the fortified walls and towers characteristic of medieval French castles.

Above the scene, the artists included a semi-circular lunette containing a calendar and astronomical information. This section features the zodiac signs of Pisces and Aries, alongside a depiction of the sun chariot. The use of lapis lazuli pigment creates the deep blue of the sky, a hallmark of the high-quality materials employed in this manuscript. The perspective is vertical, common in medieval art, where the foreground activities are stacked beneath the castle and the celestial sphere. The work provides a detailed view of the relationship between the feudal nobility and the labouring classes, as well as the integration of seasonal cycles into the religious calendar. The precision of the figures and the architectural details demonstrate the technical skill of the Limbourg brothers, who were among the most accomplished illuminators of their time. This print captures the fine details of the original vellum, preserving the colours and the delicate line work of the manuscript page.