IMPERIAL SPLENDOR
Imperial Splendor:
Renaissance Tapestries from Vienna
May 21 – September 19, 2010
In the late Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque periods, tapestry
was the art form – far more costly and elite than art in any other
medium – sculpture and painting included. They could cost as
much as a warship and be more expensive than great paintings by
acknowledged masters. Michelangelo was paid less money for
painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel than were the designers of
a series of tapestries commissioned by Pope Leo X. Famous
artists such as Raphael, Rubens, and Boucher were often employed
to create tapestry designs. Moreover, tapestry production created the
widest economic impact – often international – among the fine arts,
from the metal workers who beat gold and silver into threads to the
artists who created the designs and the weavers who turned them
into tapestries.
Flemish tapestry making was considered the best in Europe. Major
weaving centers at Brussels, where the Vienna tapestries were made,
Tournai and Arras produced intricately designed wall hangings for
royal and aristocratic patrons, important church officials, and even
town councils. Among the most common subjects were foliage and
flower patterns, scenes from the lives of the saints, and themes from
classical mythology and history. Tapestries provided both insulation
and luxurious decoration for the stone walls of castles, churches and
municipal buildings. Often they were woven for specific places or
for festive occasions such as weddings, coronations and other public
events (fig. 1). Many were given as diplomatic gifts, and the wealth
of individuals can often be judged from the number of tapestries
listed in their household inventories.
The Rape of the Sabines, detail, Brussels, Workshop of Frans Geubels, c. 1560, wool, silk, silver, and gold,
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
The price of a tapestry depended on the materials used. Rarely was a
fine, commissioned series woven only with wool. Instead, tapestry
producers enhanced them to varying degrees with silk, silver and
gold threads. The richest kind of tapestry was made almost entirely
of silk and gold. Because silver and gold threads were made of silk
wrapped with real metal, people later burned many tapestries to
retrieve the precious materials. As a result, few royal tapestries in
France survived the French Revolution. Other tapestries show
obvious signs that the gold and silver threads were painstakingly
pulled out in order to retain the tapestry.
The eight tapestries in Imperial Splendor: Renaissance Tapestries from
Vienna are made with, and still retain, luxury materials including
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