Cleveland Museum of Art

The Triumph of Eternity (from Chateau de Chaumont set)

Date

1512–15

Medium

silk and wool; tapestry weave

Culture

France, Lyon(?), early 16th century

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The Triumph of Eternity is represented by the Coronation of the Virgin. Dressed in crimson velvet with an opulent brocaded velvet shawl, the Virgin is seated in the center as two angels hold a crown over her head. Five musical angels surround her playing an organ, recorder, straight cornetto, harp, and lute, while another sings from an open music book. The scenes in the set display a conservative style in which the figures are placed in shallow landscapes, thereby ignoring pictorial innovations for depicting space and mass. The verse in Old French at the top states: Nothing triumphing by due authority Remains permanent and durable. Nothing is permanent under the heavens, But above, eternity triumphs.

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