The Nativity

The Master of the Spitz Hours was of Dutch or Rhenish origin and belonged to the inner circle of the Limburg brothers, whose style he copied. For this manuscript, he borrowed not only motifs but also an entire composition from the Très Riches Heures of the Duke of Berry. The Nativity scene echoes the illumination of the Très Riches Heures, even in the upper lunette depicting God the Father. The embroidery on the Virgin's mantle, the ring of blue angels around the Child, the palisade breached by the donkey and the ox—all these details and motifs are borrowed. However, the image appears less refined and less sophisticated than its model.