Rücklaken were intended to be hung around the walls of domestic interiors. In this narrative tapestry, two scenes from the late medieval poem, "The Buzzard," are illustrated. The prince of England is depicted as a wildman, and the princess of France meets a miller who offers her refuge. The middle high German inscription alludes to the princess seeking refuge, whereupon the man replies: "Willingly, though as a poor man I can offer you nothing." The scenes are related to other fragments housed in museums in Cologne, London, and Paris.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Two Scenes from "Der Busant" (The Buzzard)
Date:1480–90
Geography:Made in Strasbourg, Alsace, present-day France
Culture:Upper Rhenish
Medium:Linen wrap; wool, silk, and metallic wefts
Dimensions:32 × 46 in. (81.3 × 116.8 cm)
Classification:Textiles-Tapestries
Credit Line:Gift of Murtogh D. Guinness, 1985
Object Number:1985.358
Inscription: (on the left banderole): ICH [...] ETE FROUGE ICH BITEN DICH DZ DU DURCH GOT BEHERBERGESTZ MICH
(on the right banderole): GERN[als?] ARMER MAN KEIN ER ICH UCH ERBIETEN KAN
Carl Roman Abt Swiss (d. 1933), Lucerne ; Johann Karl (d. 1914) or Karl Thomas (d. 1934) Bossard, Lucerne (sold to Figdor) ; Dr. Albert Figdor, Vienna (until d. 1927) ; his posthumous sale, Paul Cassirer at Hotel Esplanade, Berlin (Sept. 29-30, 1930, vol. I, no. 29) ; [ Ludwig Bernheimer, Munich (in 1930)] ; Walter Edward Guinness, first Baron Moyne d. 1944, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk (from 1930) ; by descent, Honorable Murtogh D. Guinness (d. 2002), New York (until 1985)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Mirror of the Medieval World," March 9–June 1, 1999.
Kurth, Betty. "Mittelhochdeutsche Dichtungen auf Wirkteppichen des XV. Jahrhunderts." Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen des Allerhöchsten Kaiserhauses 32, no. 2 (1915). pp. 236, 243–44, 251, fig. 1c, 6.
Kurth, Betty. Die deutschen Bildteppiche des Mittelalters. Vol. 1. Vienna: A. Schroll & Co., 1926. p. 240.
Kurth, Betty. Die deutschen Bildteppiche des Mittelalters. Vol. 2. Vienna: A. Schroll & Co., 1926. pl. 148.
Falke, Otto von, and Max J. Friedländer, ed. Die Sammlung Dr. Albert Figdor, Wien. part I, Vol. 1. Vienna: Paul Cassirer Verlag, 1930. no. 29, pl. XV.
Kohlhaussen, Heinrich. "Gotisches Kunstgewerbe." In Geschichte des Kunstgewerbes aller Zeiten und Völker, edited by Helmuth Theodor Bossert. Vol. 5. Berlin: E. Wasmuth, 1932. pp. 464–65.
Göbel, Heinrich. Wandteppiche. 3. Teil, Die germanischen und slawischen Länder. Vol. 1. Berlin: Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1933. p. 97, fig. 71.
Wixom, William D. "Curatorial Reports and Departmental Accessions." Annual Report of the Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 116 (July 1, 1985–June 30, 1986). p. 33.
Rapp Buri, Anna, and Monika Stucky-Schürer. Zahm und Wild: Basler und Strassburger Bildteppiche des 15. Jahrhunderts. Mainz: P. von Zabern, 1990. no. 114b, pp. 14, 362–64.
Cavallo, Adolfo S. Medieval Tapestries in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993. no. 58, pp. 15, 642–47.
Wixom, William D., ed. Mirror of the Medieval World. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999. no. 238, pp. 197–98.
Ott, Norbert H. "Literatur in Bildern: Eine Vorbemerkung und sieben Stichworte." In Literatur und Wandmalerei: Volume 1, Erscheinungsformen höfischer Kultur und ihre Träger im Mittelalter. Freiburger Colloquium 1998, edited by Eckart Conrad Lutz, Johanna Thali, and René Wetzel. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer, 2002. p. 164 n. 49.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world, encompassing the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance.
