Medieval Tapestries at the Cloisters the Metropolitan Museum of Art the Cloisters

" .: / cts In • |P ;' ? ^^^ 4 Imm THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART MEDIEVAL TAPESTRIES AT THE CLOISTERS THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART THE CLOISTERS At The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park notable one another's tents under a flag of truce to com objects h<mi the Middle Ages are shown in re pare their newly acquired treasures, only to re lation to their original use. Stonework, door turn to battle the following morning. ways, windows, and stained glass are incorpo That such a large part of the original set as rated functionally in the building erected for now hangs in The Cloisters has survived live that purpose in 1938. Here, too, furniture, and a half centuries is one of the happy acci metalwork, and tapes dents of history. Prob tries, such as the two ably the most extensive magnificent sets de repairs of all were un scribed in the following dertaken by the Mu pages, are shown to seum when the ninety- their best advantage. one fragments of the original set were ac The Unicorn tapes quired in 1947. Actu tries, whose new setting ally, this gigantic jig is described in the fol saw operation extended lowing pages, have been back over the previous seen and admired by a dozen years when pho far wider public over ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ tographs of the pieces as the past years than they were then haphazardly sewn together were / could have known them in all the rest of their cut up and reassembled in experimental paste long history. Now, in an adjacent gallery, the ups. When the tapestries themselves were ac public may see another series of medieval hang quired restorations were started within an hour. ings of hardly less interest. When the Unicorn To commandeer in this country the expert tapestries were commissioned for Anne of Brit- talent necessary to complete the operation with tanv the Nine Heroes set had already seen more competence and within a reasonable time was 1 than a century of use. Judging from the ac a major problem. At one point work was de count books of Charles VI, mentioned on page layed when the cares of maternity overtook one 17, such hangings would have needed repairs of the skilled restorers. In due course, however, within a decade or so of their purchase and, a play pen and baby carriage were installed in we may presume, constantly thereafter. the tapestry workroom and the mother returned What seems to have been a companion set to to her needlework with her baby at her side. our tapestries was, as told later, "very old and All in all, according to the Museum records, worn" when they passed into the collection of about seven thousand needlewoman hours of the Duke of Bedford hardly a generation after skilled effort have been spent on cutting apart, they were woven. We are reminded elsewhere reassembling, piecing, and relining. The work that Bedford and the Duke of Berry, for whom was completed in May, 1949. M.B.D. our Nine Heroes set was made, would meet in COPYRIGHT 1949 BY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART A NEW ROOM FO THE UNICORN TAPESTRIES BY MARGARET B. FREEMAN Associate Curator of Medieval Art and The Cloisters The Hall of the Unicorn Tapestries at The woven with the History of Jason . and the Cloisters has been completely remodeled to pro Golden Fleece." For a solemn assembly in Brus vide for these aristocrats among tapestries a set sels in 1469 the audience room of the ducal ting such as they might have had when they palace was "adorned and hung all around (cir- were designed and woven in the late Middle compendue) with a very rich tapestry of the Ages for a Queen of France. The long, narrow great King Alexander, Hannibal, and other museum gallery in which they were formerly noble ancients." Miniatures show that tapes shown has been transformed into a room of tries regularly reached from ceiling to floor; more gracious proportions, like a room in a frequently they turned the corners of a room, French chateau. A monumental fifteenth-cen and sometimes, though not always, they con tury mantelpiece from Alencon, installed in the tinued over windows and doors and even fire center of the south wall, adds scale, dignity, and places—when there was no fire—to keep out the the texture of intricately carved, creamy white draughts (see ills. pp. 2, 3). limestone. In the opposite wall a high, wide Inventories and expense accounts indicate window from a late Gothic house in Cluny ad that it was the fashion to furnish castle rooms mits north light and a view of the garden of the with matching ensembles and even to name the Cuxa Cloister. The tapestries are hung around rooms after the tapestries in them. One reads of the room on all four sides, instead of along one the "Hall of the Nine Heroes" of King Charles wall in a continuous line. Now, on stepping V, the "Room of the Lions Rampant" belong into the room, one is encompassed by move ing to the Queen, the "Chamber of the Swans" ment and brilliance and color. It is as if one of the Dukes of Burgundy, and many another. were no longer admiring a garden from outside Among the ensembles listed in the household the garden gate, but actually walking among accounts of Philip the Bold of Burgundy is "a the flowers. The people of the Middle Ages chamber of white tapestry all woven with many would undoubtedly have preferred the tapes likenesses taken from 'The Romance of the tries this way. Rose', consisting of several pieces furnished with In the countries of northern Europe, where cords and tapes ready for hanging; that is to say, winters were cold, medieval princes, dukes, and a bed cover,... a bed canopy (ciel),. cornice people of wealth literally clothed their rooms, bands,... a dorser, ... a tapestry (tapis) for the as well as themselves, in warm, colorful, costly couch,... four large hangings for the walls,.. .a garments. Many a contemporary chronicler de bench cover,... and twelve cushions,... totaling, scribes rooms entirely hung with tapestries. At in all, 374 aulnes [about 2040 square feet],... and the Peace Conference in Arras in 1435 "the three curtains [for the bed] of Arras silk checked Great Hall . was draped all around (tout in white and green. ." Another "rich cham autour) with tapestries made on a high-warp ber of the Duke's, called the Room of the Little loom, on which were figured the Battle and Children," had "tapestries made on a high-warp Overthrow of the People of Liege." At the mar loom of Arras thread,... a bed canopy, a dorser, riage of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York and a bed cover, all scattered over with trees and in 1468 the banquet room was "hung above plants and little children, and up above, on top, with draperies of wool, blue and white, and on rosebushes with roses on a crimson ground." the sides was tapestried with a rich tapestry Many such items as the following appear in the I A tapestry in the Duke of Berry's dining hall. It rounds a corner, covers a door, and is turned under to fit over a fireplace. Miniature representing January in Les Tres Riches Heures, 1412-1416 2 An audience room hung with tapestries, and a tapestry covering a fireplace to keep out draughts. Miniatures from Vroissart's Chronicle, about 1460-1480. British Museum (MSS. Harley 43J9, 43S0) The Unicorn tapestries in a salon of tiie Rochefoucauld chateau at Verteuil inventory of Philip the Good of Burgundy: "A justed as well as possible to the new surround rich chamber of tapestries made on a high-warp ings. A miniature in Les Ties Riches Heures loom with thread of Arras woven with gold, shows that one of the Duke of Berry's great tap called the Chamber of the Coronation of Our estries, full of battle action, had to be doubled Lady; consisting of a bed canopy, dorser, bed under to fit over the mantelpiece in the banquet spread, and six tapestries for hanging, two of hall (ill. p. 2). Moreover, his guests had to lift which are made with gold and the other four up the tapestry when they entered the room, without gold...." The Unicorn tapestries form for the hanging covered the doors. an ensemble of wall hangings such as the inven Several accounts tell of huge tapestries being tories list and describe. How they were intended cut into smaller hangings. One tapestry worker to furnish a room can be better appreciated now on record made "twenty-two hangings out of that they are shown on all four walls. five tapestries: King Arthur, the Queen of Flan In the Middle Ages, tapestries were presum ders, the Mirrors of Rome, Doon de Mayence, ably woven to the measurements of a given hall and Judas Maccabeus. He then enlarged or bedchamber or chapel. But they were fre each one by an Arras aulne [about twenty-seven quently moved about from place to place. When inches] with foliage work similar to that origi a duke changed his residence from one of his nally in the tapestries," doing it so well that chateaux to another he often took his favorite "each tapestry seemed to have been made that tapestries with him; sometimes he lent them to way from the beginning." In 1403 Colas d'Incy, a relative for a wedding feast, gave them as a tapissier, cut down three of the tapestries be bribe or ransom, or bequeathed them to a longing to Philip the Bold, "which were too granddaughter.

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