The Months of the Year

Of the secular scenes that illustrated Renaissance Limoges work, Les Travaux des Mois or The Labours of the Months were among the most popular. Many examples of the subject survive typically in the form of so-called calendar plates or plaques.

In the medieval era, representation of the Labours were most commonly found in religious contexts, in manuscripts and the decoration of ecclesiastical buildings through media such as mosaics and stained glass. Their use in a secular context on Limoges enamels began in the 1540s, remaining popular throughout the third quarter of the 16th century. The activities depicted demonstrate the preoccupations of the landed aristocracy and the labourers who worked for them, highlighting how the daily lives of the latter were defined by the tasks of each changing season. The scene of music-making (May) punctuates the industrious months such as sheep-shearing (June), harvesting (August) and sowing (September). The ten plaques presented here not only show us the centrality of a good harvest to life in the 16th century, but also offer a glimpse into how their initial owners perceived and marked the passing of time. This cyclical season-dependent terrestrial work, of growing crops and rearing animals, was intertwined with the celestial order of the Heavens, as illustrated through the use of the signs of the Zodiac shown at the top of each scene to delineate each month.

The compositions of the scenes in Limoges depictions of the Labours are typically drawn from print sources which were widely disseminated in the period. The scenes in the present lot are derived from engravings by Étienne Delaune who published two series of calendar prints, the first in circa 1559-65 and the second in 1568. Calendar sets from the workshop of Pierre Reymond were very popular but their style and quality can vary greatly, even within a single work, indicating that there may have existed a ‘production line’ of enamellers involving up to four artists to enable the workshop to meet the high demand (Higgot, op. cit, p. 260). However, the intricate detailing and skillful execution of the present plaques would point to the involvement of Pierre Reymond's hand in their creation.