Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1930.207
People
Unidentified Artist
Title
Court Scene (Seigneuriale tapestry)
Classification
Textile Arts
Work Type
tapestry
Date
1500-1510
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Belgium, Brussels
Culture
Flemish
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/215013

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Textile fibers
Dimensions
271.8 x 429.3 cm (107 x 169 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Nettie G. Naumburg
Accession Year
1930
Object Number
1930.207
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This tapestry is a fragment of a larger composition which shows a courtly gathering in a landscape. This type of work is typically called a "seigneuriale" tapestry. In the foreground, a messenger wearing a wide-sleeved, ermine-lined cloak delivers a letter to a woman seated on a throne comprised of classical, Corinthian columns. A company of male and female courtiers wearing fancy costumes are disposed across the left of the tapestry in two tiers. The subject can perhaps be identified as Queen Esther hearing of Haman's plot as there are close compositional parallels between this tapestry and a complete Esther tapestry in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The tapestry's borders have winding branches of leaves and fruits. The Renaissance architectural elements, the elaborate costumes, and relatively large size of the figures vis-a-vis the surroundings suggests that the tapestry was produced in Brussels around 1500-1510.

Publication History

  • Paul J. Sachs, "The Naumburg Bequest", Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, February 19, 1931), p. 633

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu