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OK, from my understanding, it is simply a description of a painter. Most of my information thus far comes from researching the Burgundian court throughout it's existance, but from my limited understanding, people in general, and patrons in particular considered painting a craft - not an art. Van der Weyden would as likely be hired to paint the dukes furniture as turn out an altarpiece, paint a banner or shield, decorate a ship, or paint a room.

There are records of court painters of the Dukes of Burgundy being paid to do such very mundane things as I have described. Considering the guild structure of Medieval crafts, most Medieval art tends to be a colaborative effort of several craftsmen.

As an example, Claus Sluyters monumental "Well of Moses" Cavalry at Champanol (of which sadly only the pedastel with it's prophets, and a portion of Jesus's head survives). Claus carved this monumental work, who's fragments we see in all it's plain glory now - but this is not the work contemporaries saw. Another painter painted it into polychromed splendor - down to detailed brocade on robes, a third gilded the entire cross, and details of the cloth of gold which I believe Moses wore, yet a fourth produced the gilded bronze spectecles that once were perched on Jeremiah's nose - we know from the ducal records of money paid out to them. This is an excellent example of the collaborative effort that was most Medieval art.

Generaly, I think of a limner as painting heraldic devises on shields, and painting signage - even Dierik Bouts would do this sort of work when times were tough.

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