Zodiac signs

As defined on Epact, the zodiac is 'a band of 12 constellations of stars straddling the ecliptic; the ecliptic and the zodiac are conventionally divided into these constellations, 30 degrees being allocated to each' (find out more in the video below).

In the West, the twelve signs are: Aquarius (pictured above), Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn.

One way of determining where a calendar was made is through stylistic analysis of the zodiac signs. These signs were painted in the mid-fifteenth century. The art historian Caterina Gemma Brenzoni identified stylistic parallels by Lombard painters working at this time, suggesting the illuminator came from Lombardy.