A major exhibition of European Medieval and Renaissance tapestries is showing at the National Museum - Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius to 18 January 2015. Extract from a review featured in HALI 182.
The high-ceilinged state rooms of the Palace of the Grand Dukes in Vilnius were seemingly made for the hanging of tapestries. Like other rulers of their time, Sigismund I the Old (r. 1506–48) and his Italian queen, Bona Sforza, amassed an extensive and valuable collection of large-scale textile works, which sadly lives on only in written records. The Vilnius exhibition therefore made a reality of early 16th-century Lithuanian heritage through loans of tapestries from two private collections, indicating an affinity with western Europe that is of significance to the modern Lithuanian nation in the post-communist era.
The Triumph of Avarice, (detail), Brussels tapestry, ca. 1520, wool and silk
The aim was to produce a survey of the main types of tapestry woven in the Netherlands, France and Italy during the 16th century, with most examples concurrent with the reign of Sigismund I and Bona Sforza. Accordingly, late Gothic court scenes, millefleurs, mythological and religious subjects, landscapes, and heraldic designs served as a comprehensive introduction for the novice while still delighting the enthusiast. Many works are previously unpublished and were on public display for the first time.
