Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

Title: May
Creator: Herman, Jean, and Pol de Limbourg, painters
Description: May marked the renewal of life after the cold winter. Here, a May Day procession of young men and women wear woven wreaths of greenery, and three ladies wear green dresses. Green symbolized the color of newly-grown vegetation, it was also considered the color of love. The building in the background is probably the Palais de la Cite in Paris. Above, Apollo directs his chariot between the symbols of Ares and Gemini. This appears to be a mistake, as the correct symbol would be the bull of Taurus rather than the goat of Capricorn.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Rights: Public domain
Subject (See Also): Architecture-Secular Astrology Courtly Behavior Courtship May Day Celebrations Nobility Sexuality Trés Riches Heures de Duc de Berry
Geographic Area: France
Century: 15
Date: ca. 1404
Related Work: Trés Riches Heures. See the digitized manuscript at: http://www.christusrex.org/www2/berry/
Current Location: Paris, Musée Condé, MS 65, fol. 5v
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/22.5 cm/
Inscription:
Related Resources: