Hanging with Triumphal Arch
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The imagery on this magnificent Indian embroidery is uniquely charged with contemporary European political conflict. The source of the arch is a 1622 Portuguese book that documents temporary structures created for Spain’s Philip III’s triumphal entry into Lisbon in 1619, when both Spain and Portugal were under his rule. Lisbon’s Flemish merchants erected the so-called Flamand arch. Atop stands Discordia—goddess of strife—between the coat of arms of the Dutch provinces, then struggling to gain independence from Spain. Also featured are portraits of Portuguese kings with motifs typical of Bengali exports—Christian subjects, hunting scenes, and mythological figures such as mermaids.
Artwork Details
- Title: Hanging with Triumphal Arch
- Date: second quarter of the 17th century
- Culture: Indian (Bengal), for the Portuguese market
- Medium: Silk satin embroidered with silk
- Dimensions: 105.1 x 83.1 in (267 x 211.1 cm)
- Credit Line: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing