The Months: July

Engraving, part of a series of twelve oval prints with allegorical representations of the months with 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, July is represented by an outdoor scene dominated by Leo, the attribute of the month. Two peasants appear in the first plane, one mowing the crops and the other sharpening his scythe. In the second plane, a group of small characters are bathing in a river, one of them running on the river bank. In the background, a man drives a hay truck. The theme of this representation, centered on the crops of hay, is consistent with traditional representations of the labors of the months, including the "Calendrier et Kompost des Bergers."