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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1928.150
People
Unidentified Artist
Title
Hercules and one of Diomedes' Stallions
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Hercules and one of Diomedes' Stallions from Labors of Hercules series
Classification
Textile Arts
Work Type
tapestry
Date
1545-1565
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Belgium, Oudenaarde
Culture
Flemish
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/215178

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Textile fibers
Dimensions
350.5 x 393.7 cm (138 x 155 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Augustus Hemenway, gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1928

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Augustus Hemenway
Accession Year
1928
Object Number
1928.150
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This tapestry is the third panel in a famous set of five tapestries dedicated to the Deeds of Hercules. It shows Hercules battling Diomedes' Stallions against a background of large green foliage (called "cabbage-leaf/feuilles de choux") interspersed with small animals and vines. This ornamental background becomes fully integrated with the figurative scene, creating a powerful decorative effect. The tapestry was cut down substantially at the top, leaving only a small part of scrollwork visible. The sides and bottom show a larger portion of scroll work and vegetal ornament. Comparison with another version of the same tapestry in the Louvre shows that the original border contained subsidiary scenes with a depiction of Music on the top and David Presented to King Saul (I Samuel 16:21) on the bottom.

Publication History

  • Jean-Paul Asselberghs, Les tapisseries flamandes aux états-unis d'amérique, Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire (Brussels, 1974), p. 16
  • Ingrid de Meuter and Martine Vanwelden, Oudenaardse Wandtapijten van de 16de tot de 18de eeuw. (Tielt, 1999), p. 37, no. 37

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu