Venus in her Chariot from a set of Mythological Subjects after Raphael

Original title: Venus in her Chariot from a set of Mythological Subjects after Raphael

Artist: Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)
Date: designed 1686, woven 1689–92
Medium: Wool, silk, silver thread (23-26 warps per inch, 10-11 per cm.)
Dimensions: 13 ft. 9 1/2 in. × 10 ft. 3 1/2 in. (420.4 × 313.7 cm)
Credit line: Gift of Julia A. Berwind, 1953

kurzbeschreibung

Designed in 1686, this tapestry was woven between 1689 and 1692. Venus appears seated on a shield that another figure holds up, with angels and further mythological figures gathered around her. Wool, silk and silver thread make up the material. The tapestry belongs to a set of mythological scenes and shows the high level tapestry weaving reached in the Baroque period.

Description

In the foreground a draped woman kneels, an arrowhead in her hand, her gaze fixed on a barefoot man lying on the ground in plain clothing, whom she points out. Behind them several angels appear, along with a goddess seated on a shield held by a figure. Trees and plants frame the image, and the layout is symmetrical, the goddess and shield at its middle. The colouring reads as monochrome, which lends the tapestry a historical air. The figures are rendered precisely and true to life, as the Baroque style demanded.

Context

The design behind this tapestry was made in 1686 by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi). It was then woven between 1689 and 1692, presumably in a leading European workshop. It counts among a set of mythological scenes based on models by Raphael and shows how the Renaissance went on to shape later craftsmanship. Tapestries of this kind often hung as representative decoration in the rooms of the nobility and the royal house.

Impact

The restrained, monochrome colouring together with the symmetrical arrangement gives the tapestry a calm, almost classical bearing. Rich in figures and precise in detail, the mythological subject unfolds a lofty Baroque mood and carries the viewer into the world of antiquity.

Technique

The tapestry was woven in a weaving technique using wool, silk and silver thread. At 23 to 26 warps per inch, that is 10 to 11 per centimetre, the execution proves fine and careful. Only these materials and the high thread density made it possible to reproduce figures and ornaments in faithful detail.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)