July Calendar Page in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
The July Calendar Page
What did summer in July look like in the Middle Ages? A famous illuminated manuscript gives us insight!
A calendar page from the famous medieval manuscript, the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, focuses on peasants harvesting wheat and shearing sheep during July and also shows the Palace of Poitiers in France. This video examines what this detailed image reveals about life during this summer moment, as depicted in medieval art.
July Calendar Page
in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (c. 1412–16), Limbourg Brothers and other artists. Musée Condé, Chantilly, France.
Video chapters
0:00 July in 15th-century France in a medieval manuscript
0:30 Introduction to the July Calendar Page and the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
0:52 Zodiac signs and the Limbourg Brothers
1:31 Luxurious materials like lapis lazuli
1:48 The Palace of Poitiers
2:36 Swans and Jean's personal symbols
Learn more
Discover more about the European Middle Ages.
