The Months: June

Engraving, part of a set of 9 (from a total of 12) allegorical prints illustrating the months of the year, the first of several series created by Delaune representing the months. Each print consists of an ornamental frame with strapwork and figurative motifs that symbolize the activities related with the month, the astrological sign associated with the month in its summit, and a scroll with an inscription in Latin on the bottom. Inside the frame is a scene representing the proper occupations of each month based on the medieval iconography of the labors of the months, the main source of inspiration being the "Compost et Kalendrier des Bergers" (first published in 1491 and later reedited in 1541), reworked with the introduction of humanist themes and a critique of the social order. The inscriptions in the frames are poetic descriptions of the different states of nature and somewhat establish a kind of parallel with the progression of the allegories in the images, but they do not seem to reflect the allegorical sense of illustrations, many of which illustrate the misfortune of the poor and the banality of the rich. Additional inscriptions, hand-written with pen, are on the bottom of each print, below the illustrated plate.



This print represents the month of June, with the symbol of Cancer, attribute of the month, inside a strapwork cartouche on the summit of the frame, flanked to the sides by a man and a woman half laying and holding spooons in their hands with which they eat the contents of bowls placed under their heads. The lateral panels of the frame are decorated with symmetrical motifs made up of jars, trowels, wool, scissors, and churns. The cartouche with the inscription on the bottom panel is flanked to the sides by two sheep, half of their bodies sheared, flanked by scissors. Similarly, inside the frame, the main scene is made up of a standing shepherd, surrounded by his sheep and two women that are on the floor, each shearing one sheep. On the left, in a farmyard in the second plane, a woman milks a cow, and another draws water from a well. The background, on the right, consists of a landscape with a river, where small characters bathe, fields with trees, and buildings.



The scene in the print, as the decorative motifs on the frame, are consistent with the inscription and the traditional representations of the labors for the month of June. The allegorical sense of the scene relates to the beneficial effects of a good government, a meaning that is reinforced by the reference to the bees and the hive in the inscription. Bees and hives were often symbols for the king and his subjects in literature and art until the 18th century, and bees were praised for their physical vigor, the strength of their wisdom, and their love of virtue.