December 1568

Etienne Delaune made this small engraving called 'October', depicting the wine harvest, sometime in the 16th century. Delaune was a Huguenot, a French Protestant, who worked as a goldsmith and medalist. The piece captures the communal act of winemaking, but also hints at the social hierarchies of the time. While some figures actively crush grapes in the vat, suggesting a more hands-on role, others collect the must in buckets, reflecting different levels of involvement and status within the community. In the background, the landscape is dotted with workers tending the vineyards, and this contrast invokes the labor and the cooperation that were essential to Renaissance society. The act of winemaking is thus both a celebration of nature's bounty and a reflection of the complex social dynamics that shape our lives. Delaune's engraving, in its intimate scale, invites us to reflect on the connections between labor, community, and identity.