The Month of July/The Sign of Leo, from The Grotesque Months

About this artwork

This narrow panel and its companion belong to a suite known as The Grotesque Months, which depicts the 12 months of the year and their associated zodiac signs. A Roman deity, centrally positioned within a pergola, personifies each month. July, with the sign of Leo—a lion—appears in a grisaille cartouche near the top of this tapestry. The bearded Jupiter sits on a great eagle amid storm clouds, and the fleece and head of Amalthea, the goat that suckled the infant god, hangs from the top of the pe...

Art Historical Context

Created around 1726 by French designer Claude III Audran, *The Month of July/The Sign of Leo* belongs to the series *The Grotesque*. This tapestry reflects the early eighteenth-century taste for lighthearted, fantastical decoration that flourished in French aristocratic interiors during the Régence and early Louis XV periods. Audran specialized in such ornamental schemes, blending classical motifs with playful invention to suit the refined domestic settings of the time. Woven in wool and silk using slit and double-interlocking tapestry techniques, the work demonstrates the extraordinary skill of French weavers who translated Audran’s delicate designs into durable wall hangings. The long, narrow format was typical for over-door or frieze placements, allowing the month’s zodiac symbol—here the lion for Leo—to appear alongside whimsical grotesques, foliage, and seasonal imagery. As part of a complete calendar series, this piece would have helped viewers mark the passage of time while adding elegance and narrative charm to a room. Today it offers visitors a vivid glimpse into how art, astrology, and craftsmanship intertwined in eighteenth-century France.