Art Institute of Chicago

Venus and Adonis (?) with the Duck Hunt

Presumably woven at the workshop of Jacques I Geubels (died 1601/05) or his widow Catharina van den Eynde (died before 1629)

Date

c. 1600

Medium

Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave Warp: Count: 7 warps per cm; wool: S-ply of three Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.7–0.9 mm Weft: Count: varies from 17 to 30 wefts per cm; wool: S-ply of two Z-spun elements; pairs of S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.5–1.2 mm; silk: pairs of S-ply of two Z-twisted elements; diameters: 0.5–1.2. mm

Culture

Brussels

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Based on the 10th book of Ovid’s Metamorphoses , this scene may depict the goddess Venus and the hunter Adonis at the moment in which she warns him about the dangers of hunting. Ignoring her warning, Adonis is later killed by a boar. In the background, men in contemporary dress conduct a hunt, a popular pastime of the privileged elite. The border of the tapestry displays an array of allegorical, biblical, and mythological scenes and figures. Overall the composition gives the impression of receding space, which is characteristic of late-16th- and early-17th-century Flemish production.

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