The Etrillard Foundation is the lead patron of the three-year project for the analysis, restoration, and exhibition of a treasure of our medieval heritage, which left its mark on art history: the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry.
A true icon of the Middle Ages, the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry is the jewel of the Condé Museum collections at the Château de Chantilly. It is a prestigious and exceptional manuscript both in its artistic quality and ornamental refinement, as well as its rich iconography. Painted in France in the 15th century, it alone forms a museum of 131 paintings depicting fairytale castles, princely scenes, and agricultural labor following the immutable rhythm of the seasons.
In accordance with the wishes of its donor, the Duke of Aumale, the manuscript cannot be exhibited outside the Condé Museum where, due to its fragility and preciousness, it is usually kept out of sight in a safe place.
The manuscript’s case (1867) © RMN – Grand Palais Domaine de Chantilly / Michel Urtado
This illuminated masterpiece was commissioned around 1411 by the immense collector and bibliophile Jean, Duke of Berry—third son of the King of France, John II the Good—from three genius illuminators, the Limbourg brothers. It remained unfinished upon the death of all these protagonists in 1416. Throughout the 15th century, other illuminators succeeded one another to complete it, such as Barthélemy d’Eyck around 1446 for the royal family, and Jean Colombe around 1485 for Charles I of Savoy, who inherited it in turn.
From its installation in Chantilly and the first reproductions initiated by Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, who purchased it in 1856, this “cathedral-book” acquired worldwide fame that conferred upon it an iconic value. Today, it still shapes a poetic and ideal vision of the Middle Ages in the collective imagination.
Miniature of the month of May © RMN-Grand Palais / Domaine de Chantilly / Michel Urtado
This book of hours is as famous as it is discreet due to its great fragilization over time. Suffering from several disorders, the manuscript needed to be restored. The Condé Museum thus wished to ensure its safeguarding against signs of alteration, foster renewed knowledge about the manuscript, and showcase a masterpiece so it can continue to feed the imagination of future generations.
Facing these challenges, the Condé Museum benefits from the support of major French conservation and research institutions such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the C2RMF, and from the patronage of the Etrillard Foundation, the project’s lead sponsor.
The manuscript first made an exceptional stay in the laboratories of the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF) at the Louvre from March to May 2023. There, it benefited from the best imaging techniques and was explored in depth by conservators, who examined the fragile areas to better understand its alterations. A first in its history.
This corpus of images was then analyzed to better understand the book’s craftsmanship and iconography, especially the bold touch of its painters.
Miniature of the month of September and its grape harvest © IRHT CNRS / Bibliothèque du Château de Chantilly / Gilles Kagan
As the conclusion of this vast project, a landmark exhibition is being organized from June 7 to October 5, 2025, presenting the progress of research on the manuscript. These horae have indeed only been exhibited twice in the last century, in 1956 and 2024. This exhibition holds an international scope to honor the treasure of Chantilly, and to make its importance and power of fascination understood.
For the first and undoubtedly last time, the first unbound folios of the manuscript are shown to the public. The 26 pages of the calendar, the most famous ones, are all shown at once, before returning to their restored binding, thereby allowing a perfectly conserved masterpiece to be bequeathed to future generations.
This support aligns with the mission to rediscover the Middle Ages dear to the Etrillard Foundation, which it deploys across the various fields of art, craftsmanship, and the humanities, in Switzerland as well as in France.
Some of the Foundation’s sponsorships related to the medieval period:
– Exhibitions (Illuminated manuscripts from Switzerland at the Bodmer Foundation, Treasure of Notre-Dame de Paris at the Louvre Museum, Charles VII at the Cluny Museum)
– Restoration (illuminated manuscript of the Solesmes Abbey, reliquaries of the Treasure of the Saint-Maurice Abbey)
– Music (Philippe de Vitry symposium with the Haute Ecole de Musique (HEM) of Geneva, Singing the Ars Nova program with the Royaumont Abbey and Foundation)