Month of May: Scene of May Day Festival
Medium
tapestry weave: linen warp, wool and silk wefts
Dimensions
2841.9 × 454.3 cm
Classification
Tapestry
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection
Accession Number
1944.133
Tags
malegender unknown
About this artwork
Seated spectators and splendidly clothed ladies and gentlemen on horseback watch May Day festivities in this tapestry. In the middle distance, archers prepare to shoot at a bush and bird placed atop a maypole, while more spectators congregate in the receding landscape. A border of rolled acanthus leaves and flower garlands frames the scene. This scene is one of twelve so-called Months of Lucas tapestries, each depicting activities that coincide with a month of the year. The original “Months of L...