DescriptionThe subject of "The Nine Heroes" first occurs in a French poem of about 1312, written for the bishop of Liège, which celebrates three worthies each from the pagan, Hebrew, and Christian traditions: Hector of Troy, Alexander, and Julius Caesar; Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus; and Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godefroy of Bouillon. Tapestries representing the heroes as princely ancestors and exemplars of virtue appear in the inventories of French royalty beginning in the second half of the fourteenth century. The arms of the Valois princes are repeatedly woven into the group of five heroes that survives in the Museum's collection.

 

 

Each of the heroes was assigned a coat of arms, and it is on the basis of the arms that the hero in this hanging has been identified as Hector. The ideal Trojan warrior, Hector was also portrayed in "The Iliad" as a devoted husband and father, a loving son and friend.

 

 

Both the style and the composition of the hangings are closely related to French painting in stained glass, not only in the fantastic Gothic architecture framing the figures, but also in the patterned grounds behind the figures and in the use of yellow in the architectural designs to imitate silver stain on glass. The costumes suggest a date of about 1400.