Tapestry — Mortlake Tapestry Factory — 1660-1699

Tapestry woven in wool and silk on a woollen warp, about 18 threads to the inch. The tapestry consists of a double panel showing the months of April and May side by side. April is on the left with the zodiac sign of the Ram on the top border, and May is on the right with the zodiac sign of Taurus. In the panel on the left, a man is digging at the roots of a tree while another is kneeling to tie a sapling to a stake. Behind them are two men pruning and staking young trees. The scene is taking place on the bank of a river. There is a large church in the background and a gothic ruin on the far bank. The panel on the right shows a walled formal garden in which a lady and a gentleman are walking. On the left, a gardener is digging a flower bed and further away another is raking the path between the flower beds. There are tulips in flower, both in the beds and in the ornamental urns. On the right of the gardens is a wall of a large house with a moat at the foot, and beyond the garden, sheep and goats are grazing in a field. There is a small village in the background. Around the panels and down the centre is a border of curling vine leaves. The Mortlake shield is woven into the right hand corner.