Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry aout

The term Labours of the Months refers to cycles in

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and early

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

depicting in twelve scenes the rural activities that commonly took place in the months of the year. They are often linked to the signs of the

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The pat ...

, and are seen as humankind's response to God's ordering of the Universe. The Labours of the Months are frequently found as part of large sculptural schemes on churches, and in

illuminated manuscripts An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

, especially in the calendars of late medieval

Books of Hours The book of hours is a Christian devotional book used to pray the canonical hours. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript ...

. The manuscripts are important for the development of

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent compo ...

, containing most of the first painting where this was given prominence. The most famous cycle is that painted in the early 15th century by Hermann, Pol and Johan de Limbourg in '' Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry''. In the early 16th century, long after the term was established, the miniaturist

Simon Bening Simon Bening (c. 1483 – 1561) was a Flemish miniaturist, generally regarded as the last major artist of the Netherlandish tradition. Bening, born either in Ghent or Antwerp, was probably trained by his father, illuminator Alexander Bening, i ...

produced cycles which link the Limbourgs with the landscape paintings of Peter Breughel the Elder.

Typical cycle

The contents of cycles varied with date, location, and the purpose of the work. The ''Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry'' (illustrated right) was designed for the personal use of a great magnate, and was unusually large, allowing all the typical elements to be used in many months. It combines astrological and calendar information at the top, with a combination of the agricultural life of the peasant, the life of the elite courtiers, and illustrations of the Duke's many castles in the background of several scenes. A typical simple scheme was:Calkins, Robert G. ''Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages'', mp 246, Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1983 *January - Feasting *February - Sitting by the fire *March - Pruning trees, or digging *April - Planting, enjoying the country or picking flowers *May - Hawking, courtly love *June - Hay harvest *July - Wheat harvest *August - Wheat threshing *September - Grape harvest *October - Ploughing or sowing *November - Gathering acorns for pigs *December - Killing pigs, baking However, there could be many other variations than the above, especially in major wine-growing areas, where more wine related scenes were included. Italian cycles often advance the agricultural scenes a month earlier than the ones from the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

or England. The impact of the onset of the Little Ice Age has been detected in differences between early and late examples.

Sculpture cycles

Most sculptured cycles in Europe, especially when compressed into the

archivolt An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the ...

of a portal, consist of an astrological symbol beside, above or incorporated in a sculpture or relief illustrating a monthly labour. A few sculpted examples of the many surviving are: *

Chartres cathedral Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...

: west and north portal archivolts *

Notre Dame, Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

: northern doorjambs of the west façade (Portal of the Virgin), and a stained glass Zodiacs, labours, vices and virtues cycle filling the west rose window * Vezelay Abbey: Archivolt of main west basilica doorway *

Autun Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Lazarus of Autun (french: Cathédrale Saint-Lazare d'Autun), commonly known as Autun Cathedral a Roman Catholic cathedral in Autun and a national monument of France. Famous for its Cluniac inspiration and its Romanesque scu ...

: Archivolt of main west cathedral doorway * Ferrara Cathedral *

Saint Mark's, Venice The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark ( it, Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco), commonly known as St Mark's Basilica ( it, Basilica di San Marco; vec, Baxéłega de San Marco), is the cathedral church of the Catholic Pat ...

: main portal *

San Zeno di Verona The Basilica di San Zeno (also known as ''San Zeno Maggiore'' or ''San Zenone'') is a minor basilica of Verona, northern Italy constructed between 967 and 1398 AD. Its fame rests partly on its Romanesque architecture and partly upon the traditio ...

: façade *

Lucca Cathedral Lucca Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Lucca, Cattedrale di San Martino) is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours in Lucca, Italy. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Lucca. Construction was begun in 1063 by Bishop Anselm (later P ...

: large bas-relief panels with little Zodial signs, to the right and left of the main facade door * Fontana Maggiore,

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...

: relief panels showing monthly labours are amongst those surrounding the lower basin of the great fountain in front of the Duomo *

Otranto Cathedral Otranto Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Otranto; Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunziata) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italian city of Otranto, dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. It is the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdioce ...

: Zodiac signs and labours form part of the mosaic scenes which cover the entire floor * Canterbury Cathedral: Zodiac signs and monthly labours are amongst the subjects illustrated in large inlaid marble floor medallions on the edge of the Trinity Chapel close to where the shrine of Saint Thomas (Becket) was located * St Augustine's Church, Brookland, Kent: large cylindrical lead font with reliefs of both Zodiac signs and monthly labours—a rare example in the UK both of such a font and of the combination of zodiac signs and monthly labours *

Carlisle Cathedral Carlisle Cathedral is a grade-I listed Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Carlisle.Tim Tatton-Brown and John ...

: the foliate capitals of the twelve piers of the choir each contain a figure representing one of the labours of the months

Stained glass

Chartres_cathedral_041_Seasons_Dec_Jan_Feb

The Labours of the months often occur in those rose windows that are dedicated to the Creation, the circular nature of the window suiting the cyclic theme. In these windows, the months are part of a complex iconographical scheme. Other windows have the Labours of the Months specifically as their subject matter. *

Basilica of Saint Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

: rose window of Creation in the north transept. *

Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...

: "Labours of the Months" window in south ambulatory

References

Citations

Sources

* Time in the Medieval World - Occupations of the Months and Signs of the Zodiac in the Index of Christian Art; Edited by Colum Hourihane - 328 pages , 656 illustrations , 2006 - , cloth - , paper * J. C. Webster, The Labors of the Months in Antique and Mediaeval Art to the End of the Twelfth Century (Princeton, 1938). * Bridget Ann Henisch, The Medieval Calendar Year (Pennsylvania State Univ. Press, 1999).

External links

Podtours site with info and many images

Illuminated manuscript examples from the Museum of the Book, The Hague

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080704191703/http://www.sacred-destinations.com/reference/zodiacs-and-labors-of-months.htm The Medieval Year: Zodiac Signs and the Labors of the Monthsbr>A comprehensive collection of images at „flickr“
Contains zodiac signs and labors of the month. {{Authority control Medieval art Renaissance art Iconography of illuminated manuscripts Iconography