The Labours of the Months: June

The 12 small pictures in this group show the 'labours of the months' - the rural activities that take place each month throughout the year. They were painted on canvas and then each glued to a wooden panel. It is possible that they were made to decorate the recessed panels of a pair of doors. The paintings seem to have been planned in pairs with the figures facing each other and are currently displayed in two frames in groups of six.

A barefoot young man sits holding a sheaf of corn he has cut in one hand and his scythe in the other. The sleeves of his blue jacket are rolled up and a straw hat shades his face, suggesting that this little painting represents one of the summer months. We think it may be June, when grain crops are harvested in northern Italy, where this picture was painted.

Credit: Layard Bequest, 1916