Art Institute of Chicago

A Falconer with Two Ladies and a Foot Soldier

Franco-Flemish, possibly Paris or Bruges

Date

c. 1500

Medium

Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave Warp: Count: 5 warps per cm; wool: S-ply of three Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.9–1.2 mm Weft: Count: varies from 11 to 34 wefts per cm; wool: S-ply of two, three, and four Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.7–1.7 mm; silk: pairs of S-ply of two Z-twisted elements; diameters: 0.7–1.2 mm

Culture

Bruges

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Two fashionably dressed women, a man in falconer’s garb, another man in the less ornate costume of a foot soldier, and a dog occupy an island surrounded by a flat expanse covered in an overall pattern of small flowers and plants known as millefleur. The shallow, earthy cross section visible on the front edge of the island reveals that some attempt was made to create an impression of depth. It is unlikely that this image had any particular symbolic or narrative significance; rather, it was probably the decorative qualities of the figures’ stances and costumes and the fantastical millefleur setting that appealed to contemporary viewers. Such millefleur designs were extremely popular because of their accessibility, functional flexibility, and manageable scale. This particular example is of an appropriate size and subject to have hung in the home of a wealthy family.

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