The Months: April

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 April, with the symbol of Taurus, attribute of the month, inside a scrolling cartouche of strapwork on the summit of the frame, flanked to the sides by two hunters, half laying, reclining on scrolling motifs that make up the upper corners of the frame, with hunting trophies, made up of spears and heads of animals, at their feet. The lateral panels of the frame contain similar hunting trophies, with spears, horns, daggers, fishing nets and, on the bottom, falconry accessories: a lure and gloves. On the bottom panel, on either side of the cartouche with the inscription, is a laying dog.



The main scene in the print is divided in two episodes: in the first plane, a deer-hunting scene, made up of a horse-riding archer, two men carrying spears and blowing horns, and several dogs, three of them approaching a deer, which is running towards a forest of trees and one palm tree on the right side of the print. In the background, a falconry scene takes place, with three characters: a horseman, a man with a spear, and another running and waving a lure. Curiously, the falcon, flying above them, is attacking a pelican, which it carries in its feet. The landscape in which the two episodes take place is simple, with an ample field, several houses and mountains in the background. Everything in the picture is focused on hunting, and no direct reference is made to the inscription.



The allegorical meaning of this print might be a criticism of the aristocracy, who spend their time in trivial activities, thather than consecrating it to religion and their wellbeing. The pelican being attacked by the falcon might be a Christian metaphor, with the pelican symbolizing Christ himself, attacked in this case by privileged men, symbolized by the falcon. The opposition between the wealthy and the poor is also present in the print: virtue, represented by a palm tree, appears among the trees planted by the working men. Virtue is also represented by the deer, which is attacked by the human hunters and their dogs. The deer might also be a symbol of Christ, repeating the symbolism of the pelican in the print. Finally, the deer might reresent the royal house of France, as its symbolic animal since the reight of Charles VIII, or the king himself, being prevented from adopting a virtuous lifestyle because of the opposition from the nobility.



Beyond the allegorical meaning of the scene, the iconography used by Delaune in this print to represent April is more related to that of May in traditional representations of the labors of the months. Hunting scenes often correspond to the month of May: in the "Compost et Kalendrier des Bergers," for example, May is represented by a horseman holding a falcon. The text in the inscription, however, is inconsistent with the illustrations, and corresponds to traditional representations of April, with blossoming flowers and trees with growing foliage.