Labors of the Months: Haymaking (July) 1530 - 1565

Jean Pénicaud the Second created this small enamel plaque depicting haymaking in July, sometime in the mid-16th century. Court culture was flourishing, but for many, life was still dominated by the seasons and the agricultural cycle. This image offers a glimpse into the lives of peasants and agricultural workers. The labor is divided with one woman pictured along with two men. The artist captures a certain stoicism of the figures, a sense of duty which speaks to their cultural and economic positions. Are they working their own land, or are they laborers? What does it mean to show a woman doing this work? The division of labor in the 16th century was highly gendered, yet here she is, represented in the scene. What tensions might exist between these figures, and what stories do their bodies tell us about the realities of labor in the French countryside? Though small, this image speaks to larger issues of identity, labor, and the complex social fabric of 16th-century France.