August, from The Twelve Months
c. 1574
Medium
Etching from two plates on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 19.9 × 24.2 cm (7 7/8 × 9 9/16 in.); sheet: 30 × 37.6 cm (11 13/16 × 14 13/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
267961
Art Historical Context
Step into the harvest fields of 16th-century with *August, from The Twelve Months*, an exquisite etching by Pieter van dercht, created around 1574. Van der Borcht, a Flemish engraver from Antwerp, was renowned for his detailed landscapes and genre scenes captured the rhythms of rural life. This print is part of a beloved series depicting the labors of each month, drawing from medieval calendar traditions where seasonal activities symbolized the passage of time and the agricultural cycle. In *August*, viewers glimpse the height of summer bounty, evoking the industrious spirit of peasant communi...