Philippe de Hondt, designer
Naval battle, designed ca. 1715-20
Woven in the workshop of Judocus de Vos, Brussels, ca. 1722–24
Munich, Bayerische Verwaltung der Staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen
Neues Schloss Schleissheim
From the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
This international loan exhibition will be the first comprehensive survey of 17th-century European tapestry. Drawing from collections in more than 15 countries, it will present 45 rare tapestries made in Brussels, Paris, London, Florence, Rome, and Munich between 1590 and 1720, along with approximately 30 drawings, engravings, and oil sketches. From the Middle Ages until the late 18th century, the courts of Europe lavished vast expenditure on tapestries made of precious materials after designs by the leading artists of the day. Yet this spectacular medium is frequently misrepresented in modern times as a decorative art of lesser importance. Tapestry in the Baroque will challenge this notion, demonstrating that tapestry remained among the most prestigious figurative mediums throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries, prized by the rich for its artistry and as a tool of propaganda. The exhibition will investigate the stylistic and technical development of tapestry during the 17th century and the contributions of artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Simon Vouet, Charles Le Brun, Pietro da Cortona, and Giovanni Romanelli, as they responded to the challenges of the medium in unique and individual ways.