Skip to Main Content

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Calendar Page for May (recto)

c. 1510
This object has related works. See
ink, tempera and liquid gold on vellum
Leaf: 18.1 x 12.9 cm (7 1/8 x 5 1/16 in.)
The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection 2011.65.a
Location: not on view
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

It is believed that medieval men and women read their books of hours aloud, not silently.

Description

This calendar page from a book of hours shows the month of May with an illumination of the labor of the month, falconry, the popular medieval sport of hunting with a trained bird of prey. A couple rides through the forest, a falcon on the man’s outstretched arm. May is also associated with fertility rites, and the next scene shows the amorous couple on a break from the hunt. Below are saint days honored in May. May 5th’s inclusion of Saint Audoennus, who was popular in Rouen, helps indicate that this book was made for use in that city.
Leaf from a Book of Hours: Calendar Page for May (recto)

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Calendar Page for May (recto)

c. 1510

France, Rouen, 16th century

See Also

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.