Numerous illuminated manuscripts survive from the Middle Ages, but none have the charm and artistic precision of the 'Very Rich Hours' of the Duc de Berry. For three hundred years, from the thirteenth century to the sixteenth, Books of Hours were the pulp paperbacks of Europe's literary elite. Most were artistically simplistic and utilitarian, performing the function of prayer manual and designed to conform to the canonical hours of the day. Those hours were:
1. Matins
2. Lauds
3. Prime
4. Terce
5. Sext
6. None
7. Vespers
8. Compline
In the case of the Très Riches Heures, this was only the beginning. The paintings contained in this illuminated manuscript go well beyond the traditional measure used by most artists of the middle ages, and included some of the brightest and most beautiful work of the middle ages. A few examples.
This picture is heavily influenced by zodiacal symbolism. You'll notice rising through the body of the facing female the twelve signs, and surrounding the picture, we see these twelve signs again dispersed through the calender.
Color and symbolism are seen throughout the work, as is evidenced here in the Baptism of Christ.
Typically in medieval manuscripts, one artist was responsible for the text, and another for the imagery.
You can explore the manuscript further here
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