The Medieval Calendar Year [Paperback]

Bridget Ann Henisch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

The Medieval Calendar Year celebrates the pictorial convention known as 'The Labors of the Months' and the ways it was used in the Middle Ages. Richly illustrated and elegantly presented, it provides valuable insights into prevailing social attitudes and values and will fascinate all readers who are interested in the history and culture of medieval Europe.The 'Labors' cycle was most popular during the High Middle Ages (ca. 1200-1500). 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. The small scenes that made up the cycle were well-known and used widely throughout Europe. They were chosen to decorate both public and private spaces: churches and houses, town fountains, baptismal fonts, as well as books of devotion intended both for priests and for the laity. The cycle was sculpted in stone, carved in wood, painted on glass and on manuscript pages. Examples from such media are described, but most of the illustrations have been taken from manuscripts, primarily Books of Hours.The author has spent the past fifteen years studying calendar after calendar, and one of her great strengths is her ability to see the social reality that lies hidden, even masked, behind the stylized presentation. In the chapter on winter, she shows how the image of this season, dreaded in the Middle Ages, was softened and sweetened by calendar artists to bring it more into harmony with the characteristic mood of the cycle as a whole. For autumn, she reveals how depictions of the harvest of grain, grapes, and livestock hint at a sophisticated market economy. Thematic chapters on children, women, and the hardship of work brilliantly cut through idealized conventions and assumptions to unveil the underlying complexities of life. The 'Labors' cycle and its social context have not hitherto been examined in depth and with the care they deserve. The Medieval Calendar Year is a book worthy of the beautiful and beguiling tradition it describes.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Calendars with appealing scenes or pictures are not an invention of Hallmark. Medieval calendar art routinely depicted seasonal themes, motifs, and the Zodiac. Henisch, the author of several books on photography and two books on medieval life, provides a study of the medieval themes of seasons and peasant lifestyle portrayed in the medieval calendars. Contemporary writings provide some insights into the medieval fascination for gardening and agriculture, as well as themes of leisure activities and feasting. The pastoral scenes and idyllic lifestyle of the poor peasants were hardly true to fact, however, as Henisch points out in his conversational but well-researched texts. The appendix of medieval calendar formats would have been more appropriate as an introduction. Recommended for larger collections. (Illustrations not seen.)--Karen Ellis, Baldwin Boettcher Lib., Humble, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

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

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271019042
• ISBN-13: 978-0271019048
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #267,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Medieval Calendar Year, January 21, 2001

By 

PDR SALMON (TAKAMATSU-SHI, KAGAWA Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Medieval Calendar Year (Paperback)

Bridget Ann Henisch has written a delightful book. She knows what she's talking about, and writes well, with enthusiasm. She imparts her knowledge easily. A reader with scant knowledge of the importance of the medieval calendar year will understand a lot more by the time she's finished the book. The selected bibliography is worth the book's price. Very useful for those interested in medieval history or looking for reliable reference sources. BUT this is a book about the illustrated calendar, stunning medieval illustrations, some tiny, but all in glorious colour. My gripe is that most of the illustrations in the book are in black and white and very small. Henisch urges readers to note some fine detail but the reader often needs a magnifying glass! Surely there is enough interest in the medieval period these days that the publisher, Penn State Press, could have really gone to town on a large, beautifully coloured, lavishly illustrated text? Look at the sales of that lovely medieval calendar! Shame not to support Henisch's excellent text with better reproduced illustrations.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasure to read!, March 13, 2002

By 

Mrs Margaret E. Briggs (Cockermouth, Cumbria England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Medieval Calendar Year (Paperback)

This book is clear and straightforward. There are lots of illustrations around which the text is woven. This is not exactly about my main area of interest (which is depictions of Labours of the Months in wood and stone) but Henisch's comments on manuscript illuminations shed light on my areas too. I liked her utterly unpretentious style - it is a pleasure to read. Perhaps a bit repetitive, and rather too much on gardening(!), but overall a very interesting book on a subject not much seems to have been written about in recent years. (I only know of T.P.Higuera's "Medieval Calendars" 0-297-82370-1.)