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Bed valances and side curtains

ca. 1700
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 531
Stories from Ovid are depicted in the medallions; the secondary scenes represent the fables of Ovid and la Fontaine. In the valence above, Orpheus charms the wild beasts with his music, while to either side an episode from the fable of The Fox and the Stork unfolds. In the center of the left side, the fox receives his dinner guest, the stork, by serving a meal on a flat plate. In the center of the right side, the stork returns the invitation and trick, enjoying his supper from a long-neck bottle.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bed valances and side curtains
  • Date: ca. 1700
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Canvas; silk and wool embroidery in gros and petit point
  • Dimensions: Overall (.1): 19 1/4 × 80 1/4 in. (48.9 × 203.8 cm);
    Overall (.2): 19 1/4 × 81 1/2 in. (48.9 × 207 cm);
    Overall (.3): 19 1/2 × 66 1/2 in. (49.5 × 168.9 cm);
    Overall (.4): 17 1/2 × 80 in. (44.5 × 203.2 cm);
    Overall (.5): 17 1/2 × 79 in. (44.5 × 200.7 cm);
    Overall (.6): 17 1/2 × 66 in. (44.5 × 167.6 cm);
    Overall (.7): 10 ft. 4 in. × 31 1/2 in. (315 × 80 cm);
    Overall (.8): 10 ft. 2 in. × 31 1/2 in. (309.9 × 80 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
  • Credit Line: Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1953
  • Object Number: 53.2.1–.8
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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