March Labours: a foretaste of summer

Despite the daffodils, as the winter chill continues into March, many of us are dreaming of summer holidays and enjoying a glass of wine in the sunshine.  But that depends on those in wine growing regions working on the spring pruning which ensures a fruitful vintage.

Book of Hours, March Pruning   Master of Mary of Burgundy and others, Ghent or Bruges, 1500s 

© Houghton Library, Harvard University

It is often the southern countries of Europe which portray pruning vines as the Labour for the month of March, while colder northern regions focus on digging and delving, as in this sculpture from Carlisle Cathedral.    The twelve Labours of the Months are carved into the capitals of the pillars in the choir, images of devotion for the majority, who could not afford illuminated prayer books and their own stained glass. These vignettes of the agricultural year would illustrate many Bible references in the prayers and preaching for the whole congregation.

Medieval carved figure for March   © Carlisle Cathedral 

Whether digging or pruning, it was all hands to the work;  the smaller sickles suggest skilled pruning of valuable vines, or grafting trees, not just lopping dead branches, although the important Church symbolism of wine and vineyards would be a reason for vines to feature in these luxury devotional manuscripts. 

Page heading for month of March,  Queen Mary's Psalter,  English, c. 1310-20 

This manuscript was thought to be made for Edward II or his Queen, Isabella.  It was seized from the Earl of Rutland in 1533 when Mary Tudor, Mary I, succeeded to the throne and was presented to the Queen  by the Customs officer.  It was given to the British Library in 1757 by George II as part of the Old Royal Library.                

 © British Library Royal Collection

January: the 'Golf' Book of Hours

The month of January from the "Golf" Book of Hours,  Simon Bening, Bruges c. 1540

© the British Library 

This beautiful Calendar page comes from a luxury Book of Hours, containing prayers and psalms for private worship, with each month showing the traditional European labours of the month.  January usually shows someone warming themselves by the hearth, or vigorously chopping wood, as many country dwellers will be doing even nowadays.  This illumination has several other popular images included, such as the windmill, the pigeonloft and farm animals, all in deep snow.  The 1500s saw Europe's "little Ice Age" taking hold -- in England the Thames froze in December and January (1536/37) so that King Henry VIII could travel on the ice by sleigh between London and Greenwich.

The Renaissance style borders in this Book of Hours show seasonal sports and pastimes, hence its name as the "Golf Book", and January shows boys happily sledging.  This is, of course, a particularly idealised view of ordinary villagers' life in January, with the blue-robed mother and child a reminder of the Nativity.  Prosperous, well-wrapped villagers and townsfolk are leaving a church which would not have looked out of place in the miniaturist's home town of Bruges, which can look particularly beautiful in winter when its canals are frozen and the trees are bare.

Celebrating May 1st

"In the Middle Ages the first day of May was an occasion for joyful festivities.  We can enjoy a peep into this fantasy town, which appears to be loosely based on the city  of Bruges.

May,  miniature by Simon Bening 1510-1560  © Victoria & Albert Museum

A stone bridge with an impressive gateway spans most of the centre of the miniature; riders on horseback clatter across the bridge.  They have been in the forest collecting branches of may.

In the foreground a boat carries nobles making music.  The boat is also decorated with branches of may. They are cooling their drink by trailing it in the water.  A crowd of people are gathered in an elevated position on the far side of the river watching events; one man is eagerly leaning over the wall.  Seemingly oblivious to all that is going on, a woman kneels at the foot of the steps busily engaged in washing her laundry in the river.

In the background we see couples walking in the square in front of fine houses, some of them are watching the people dancing and the smaller circle of children.
So many wonderful details in an area just 14 by 9.5 centimetres, in the V&A Miniatures Gallery.

Simon Bening, or Benninck (1483-1561), one of the most famous of all miniature painters, was born in Ghent, moving to Bruges in 1508 where he spent most of his life.  This scene of people making merry is one of eight from a calendar cycle, and is such a delightful landscape of activities in 16th century life."

© Valerie Gardiner,  former V&A guide

A garden in Bruges

Virgin and Child, with Saints Catherine and Barbara,  and Mary Magdalene, and Donor   

Gerard David 1510  © National Gallery, London

The large-scale meditative figures dominate this painting, posed against the Italian silk and gold damask hanging which frames the Virgin and Child, and the buildings of Bruges behind.  The walled garden (the hortus conclusus),  the potent medieval image of Mary's virginity, seems to fade into the background in this 'modern' Renaissance painting; only the sharp horizontal line of the wall as it  links  the saints' heads reinforces this concept of the holy enclosed garden.