- Brussels, mid-16th century
- Wool, silk and gold
- Inv. 2329
Tapestry ‘Vertumnus and Pomona’
A mythological composition depicting the divinities of the forest, the gods Vertumnus and Pomona, under a pergola walking to meet one another. The gardens and orchards tended by the goddess whom Vertumnus hopes to win are in the background. The decoration, typical of Flemish production of the time, comprises a wide border with a latin inscripton on the centre top. The Brussels mark and the weaver’s name are woven on the edge. The cartoons are attributed to Pieter Coecke van Aelst, and the theme is from the Metamorphosis of Ovidius.
This tapestry from the ‘Vertumnus and Pomona’ set is the fifth panel out of nine, the remainder still belong to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna from which the collector acquired this one in 1938. The art of tapestry attained its peak with 16th century production from Flemish workshops, primarily through Brussels production, where the themes were often inspired by greco-roman mythology.
Kaiserliche Gobelisammlung. Bought from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, February 11, 1938.
H. 425 cm; W. 500 cm
Migeon 1929
Gaston Migeon, Les Arts du Tissu. Paris: Laurens, 1929, pp. 286–7.
Versailles 1964
'Vienne à Versailles'. Les Grands Collections Autrichiennes au Château de Versailles, exhibition catalogue. Versailles: Château de Versailles, 1964, p. 135.
Lisbon 2001
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum. Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2001, pp. 104–5, cat. 80.