The Months: June
Engraving, part of a series of twelve oval prints with allegorical representations of the months, ilustrated by the seasonal labors inherited from the Middle Ages. The activities illustrated in the series do not seem to have a moral sense, and depict relatively simple scenes with characters dressed in simple garbs, executing their labors in rustic landscapes. In this print, June is represented by an outdoor scene dominated by Cancer, in the form of a lobster, the attribute of the month. Three characters appear on the first plane, in a composition scheme closely related to the month of April: a woman, sitting in the center, shearing a sheep on her lap, surrounded by two men, each one bringing another sheep. In the background, a shepherd is seen with his herd. The theme of the shepherds shearing their sheep is a traditional representation for the month of June, and is included in the representation of the month in the series "Compost et Kalendrier des Bergers."
Artwork Details
- Title: The Months: June
- Artist: Etienne Delaune (French, Orléans 1518/19–1583 Strasbourg)
- Date: 1568
- Medium: Engraving
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 2 3/16 in. × 3 in. (5.6 × 7.6 cm)
- Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947
- Object Number: 47.139.22
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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