South Netherlands, probably produced through Pasquier Grenier of Tournai (fl. 1447–93)
Wool warp; wool wefts with a few silk wefts; 52.69: 14 ft. 6 1/2 in. x 13 ft. 1 in. (4.43 m x 3.99 m); 39.74: 15 ft. x 10 in. x 8 ft. 8 in. (4.83 m x 25.4 cm x 2.64 m)
Fletcher Fund, 1952 (52.69)
Fletcher Fund, 1939 (39.74)
These pieces are fragments of two or more tapestries that were woven after a cartoon illustrating a composition in the Trojan War series. Among the composition's episodes were the three illustrated here: the fifth battle, in which the centaur, or Sagittary, fought on the side of the Trojans; the conference held in Achilles' tent to arrange single combat between Hector and Menelaus; and Hector arming for war as Andromache and Priam urge him not to go. The legend of the Trojan War had special appeal for the dukes of Burgundy, who claimed Priam, the last king of Troy and the father of Hector and Paris, as an ancestor. In September 1472, Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, received as a gift a set of Trojan War tapestries that were produced by Pasquier Grenier of Tournai. The Museum's pieces, while probably not part of the original set made for Charles, were likely woven after the same series of cartoons. They are formidable examples of the types of ambitious tapestries produced for the Burgundian court in the Netherlands.
Related
Index Terms
Art Movement/Style
Artist
Material and Technique
Subject Matter/Theme
- Mythological Figure
- Mythological Figure from Europe
- Trojan War Figure
