Overview

"A celebration of the pictorial convention known as ""The Labours of the Months"" and the ways it was used in the Middle Ages. It provides insights into prevailing social attitudes and values of the culture of mediaeval Europe. The ""Labours"" cycle was most popular during the High Middle Ages. The traditional cycle depicts the year as a round of seasonal activities on the land. Each month has its allotted task, and each of these represents one stage in the never-ending process of providing food for society. Examples from different media are described, but most of the illustrations have been taken from manuscripts, primarily ""Books of Hours"". The author has spent 15 years studying different calendars, and she demonstrates the social reality that lies hidden, even masked, behind the stylized representation."

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9780271019048

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Reviews

The pictorial calendar reflecting the Labors of the Month was a highly popular genre throughout the Middle Ages, but especially during the late Middle Ages. In her delightful and well researched study, Bridget Ann Henisch provides an extensive and very detailed examination of the art historical material contained in the pictorial calendar.She writes, as it seems, both for the scholar and the general reader, and succeeds in striking a beautiful balance. Her choice of words is just delightful and exemplary, which does not diminish the scholarly quality of this study. The visual quality of the figures and plates is excellent, adding considerable aesthetic value to an insightful investigation of an important art-historical topic. --Dr. Albrecht Classen, Mediaevistik

The pictorial calendar reflecting the Labors of the Month was a highly popular genre throughout the Middle Ages, but especially during the late Middle Ages. In her delightful and well researched study, Bridget Ann Henisch provides an extensive and very detailed examination of the art historical material contained in the pictorial calendar.She writes, as it seems, both for the scholar and the general reader, and succeeds in striking a beautiful balance. Her choice of words is just delightful and exemplary, which does not diminish the scholarly quality of this study. The visual quality of the figures and plates is excellent, adding considerable aesthetic value to an insightful investigation of an important art-historical topic. Dr. Albrecht Classen, Mediaevistik

The pictorial calendar reflecting the Labors of the Month was a highly popular genre throughout the Middle Ages, but especially during the late Middle Ages. In her delightful and well researched study, Bridget Ann Henisch provides an extensive and very detailed examination of the art historical material contained in the pictorial calendar. She writes, as it seems, both for the scholar and the general reader, and succeeds in striking a beautiful balance. Her choice of words is just delightful and exemplary, which does not diminish the scholarly quality of this study. The visual quality of the figures and plates is excellent, adding considerable aesthetic value to an insightful investigation of an important art-historical topic. --Dr. Albrecht Classen, Mediaevistik

The pictorial calendar reflecting the Labors of the Month was a highly popular genre throughout the Middle Ages, but especially during the late Middle Ages. In her delightful and well researched study, Bridget Ann Henisch provides an extensive and very detailed examination of the art historical material contained in the pictorial calendar.She writes, as it seems, both for the scholar and the general reader, and succeeds in striking a beautiful balance. Her choice of words is just delightful and exemplary, which does not diminish the scholarly quality of this study. The visual quality of the figures and plates is excellent, adding considerable aesthetic value to an insightful investigation of an important art-historical topic. Dr. Albrecht Classen, Mediaevistik

Author Information

Bridget Ann Henisch is the author of Fast and Feast: Food in Medieval Society (1976) and the co-author, with Heinz K. Henisch, of Positive Pleasures: Early Photography and Humor (1998), The Painted Photograph, 1839–1914: Origins, Techniques, Aspirations (1996), The Photographic Experience, 1839–1914: Images and Attitudes (1994), all from Penn State.

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