Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index



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  • Title: July
  • Creator: Herman, Jean, and Pol de Limbourg, painters
  • Description: The time for the wheat harvest, according to the Labors of the Months. Two men reap with scythes while a man and a woman shear sheep in the foreground. The castle in the scene is that of Poitiers, one of the patron’s many properties. The image thus highlights the patron’s power and wealth. The portrayal of the peasants working diligently reinforces contemporary social norms concerning the role of the peasantry. Above, Apollo directs his chariot between the symbols of Cancer and Leo.
  • Source: Wikimedia Commons
  • Rights: Public domain
  • Subject (See Also): Agriculture Astrology Castles Peasantry Trés Riches Heures de Duc de Berry Work
  • Geographic Area: France
  • Century: 15
  • Date: ca. 1404
  • Related Work: Trés Riches Heures
  • Current Location: Paris, Musée Condé, MS 65, fol. 7v
  • Original Location:
  • Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Manuscript illuminations
  • Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Vellum (parchment)
  • Donor: Layman; Jean, Duke of Berry
  • Height/Width/Length(cm): 13.6 cm/ 5.4"/22.5 cm/ 8.9"/
  • Inscription:
  • Related Resources: