Which months are represented in Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Hunters in the Snow?

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Peasant Dance by Pieter Bruegel the Elder shows villagers dancing, drinking, and socializing outdoors near rustic buildings, with musicians playing in the foreground. — Pieter Bruegel, the Elder *Peasant Dance*, oil on wood by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1568; in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Hunters in the Snow (also known as Winter) is part of a series titled Labours of the Months, which was commissioned by the banker Niclaes Jonghelinck. While some sources identify the painting as representing the month of January, it is more broadly recognized as representing the months of December and January.12

This identification is often deduced from the scene on the left side of the painting, which depicts a group of villagers singeing a pig to remove its bristles, a traditional seasonal activity.12