The Golf Book (Book of Hours)

Depicted in the border on folio 24r is a shearing scene. In the late 15th and throughout the 16th century, shearing was one theme traditionally used to depict the month of June: the Golf Book features a smaller version since although the scene is set in the country, other codices by Simon Bening feature a series of rural buildings behind the shearers and plenty of landscape. In this case, however, the basic figures of the two shepherds and the one watching them work have been retained.

Depicted in the right-hand border is the Christological symbol of the pelican feeding its brood with blood from its breast with a phylactery underneath that reads “cancer”, which is represented slightly further down using the typology of a fresh-water crab depicted from above with all its legs outstretched. St John the Baptist is depicted underneath according to the traditional iconography.