Calendar: December (Hunting Wild Boar) 1416

Editor: So, here we have “December (Hunting Wild Boar)” a tempera on vellum created in 1416 by the Limbourg Brothers, now residing in the Musée Condé. What strikes you first about this miniature? Curator: It's stark. I mean, visually striking, but emotionally… the cold light, the almost barren trees. Even with the hunt scene, there's a palpable sense of the year ending, drawing inward. The poor boar. Editor: The hunters definitely seem to have gotten their quarry, and look like they are preparing the boar as it lies in the forest. The architecture shown represents the chateau in the distance. Curator: Right, it's not just a hunt, is it? It’s about place, ownership, marking territory, both literal and symbolic. Editor: Exactly. It's genre painting—showing elements of the aristocratic life during that time, but also tying into the medieval fascination with calendars. Curator: That astronomical calendar is really something. Is it accurately charting the skies as they would’ve appeared? Editor: Reasonably so, yes. Remember, these illuminated manuscripts were status symbols. Owning a book like this reflected both piety and worldliness. The artists had to impress their patron. Here it shows zodiac symbols for Sagittarius and Capricorn. Curator: Do you think that Limbourg Brothers would have seen how many modern audiences view hunting? How attitudes would have changed? I see their amazing detail and skill, and still get caught on the inherent violence toward the boar. Editor: It's a complicated thing. They certainly glorified this hunt. But even for the aristocratic audiences, the image presents a somewhat stark portrayal of winter. The beautiful illumination exists alongside the somewhat grim reality of a time. The miniatures allow us to think about these socio-cultural details from long ago. Curator: Ultimately, the piece lingers. I think I am left contemplating cycles: the celestial calendar, the earth turning, the brief flicker of human endeavor. Even the poor wild boar’s time on Earth. Editor: Absolutely. And what remains is this: the incredible work the Limbourg Brothers gave us that manages to spark thought and questions, even centuries later.