There are times when it’s very clear that the weather in Europe in the late fifteenth century is not the weather in 21st century New England. This February calendar image from the Morgan Library’s Da Costa Hours (the work of Simon Bening) shows workers in a vineyard. In the foreground one man is trimming a grape…
Tag: Da Costa hours
January from the Da Costa Hours
This January calendar image from the Da Costa Hours, MS M.399, fol. 2v from the collection of the Morgan Library features typical January labors; warming by the fire, and feasting. A man and a child are, quite literally, warming their hands by the fire. The man has removed his footwear, a pair of crude sandals…
May Calendar Images and Boating
The Da Costa Hours is in the collection of the Pierpont Morgan library. It, like the Golf Book hours in the British Library, was illuminated by Simon Bening (1483/84–1561); Belgium, Bruges, ca. 1515. I’ve written about the May calendar image from the British Library’s Golf Book. It’s very similar in terms of motifs to this one. On…
Another May Day featuring Maying
Maying, gathering green branches to celelbrate May day or the first of May is also known as Beltane, as I’ve noted before. I’ve written about both of my favorite May Books of Hours images from the Golf Book, and the Très Riche Heures, so here’s another lovely May image, one depicting Maying. This image is…