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Lot Essay
THE NINE WORTHIES
The nine heroes divided into three groups usually included Hector, son of Priam of Troy, Alexander and Julius Caesar from classical antiquity, Judas Maccabeus, David, King of Israel, and Joshua, conqueror of Canaan, from the Hebrew Law, and King Arthur, Charlemagne and Godefroy de Bouillon as the Christian Law. As a group, the nine represent all facets of the perfect warrior and are embodiments of wisdom and chivalric heroism. All, with the exception of Hector, are conquering heroes and most came from royal families. All brought glory and honour to their nations and were noted for their personal prowess in arms. As individuals, each displayed some outstanding quality of chivalry, which, in combination with their historical context, made them exemplars of knighthood.
The first mention of the Nine Worthies was in a novel entitled Les voeux du paon (The Vows of the Peacock), written by the poet Jacques de Longuyon for Thibaut de Bar (d. 1312), bishop of Liège in circa 1312. Guillaume de Machaut (d. 1377) took up the subject again in his La Prise d'Alexandrie (The Capture of Alexandria) in 1370 - 1371,
CHARLEMAGNE
Charlemagne was legendary because of the peace and stability his rule brought to a Europe trying to emerge from the Dark Ages. His rule was synonymous with the rise of the first truly European civilization in recorded history. In being crowned by the Pope, Charlemagne used the power of the church to increase his own by linking his authority with God. In many respects, the reign of Charlemagne was regarded as a prime example of wisdom and lawgiving.
ORIGIN IN TAPESTRIES
The earliest survival of a series devoted to The Nine Worthies is that in The Metropolitan Museum of Art which was woven in the Southern Netherlands in 1400 - 1410, but it follows a completely different scheme from the offered lot (A. Cavallo, Medieval Tapestries in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1993, cat. 2, pp. 94 - 124). It was in the late 15th century that the Marche workshops in the region of Aubusson and Felletin took up the theme depicting the heroes on horseback. A document of 1546 records that Jehan Chartier from Bourges commissioned a set from Léonard Deveau and Joseph Laurent, weavers in Felletin (D. + P. Chevalier and P.-F. Bertrand, Les Tapisseries d'Aubusson et de Felletin, Lausanne, 1988, p. 20).
A very similar interpretation of the theme with the heroes on horseback although represented with more movement, was also woven in Brussels in the workshop of Jakob II Geubels in the early 17th century (S. Schneeblag-Perelman, 'Les neuf Preux et les Sept Vertus', Artes Belgicae, L'Art brabançon au milieu du XVIe Siècle et les Tapisseries du Château de Wawel a Cracovie, Brussels, 1974, pp. 201 - 227).
EXAMPLES FROM THE SERIES
A set of seven panels depicting Hector, Alexander, Ceasar, David, Joshua, Arthur and Godefroy is at château de Langeais and was probably made for the château de Chauray between 1525 and 1540 (M. Jarry, 'La Collection de Tapisseries du Château de Langeais', Bulletin de la Societé de l'Histoire de l'Art Français, Paris, 1973, pp. 50 - 53).
Further recorded examples include:
Judas Maccabeus - (J. Boccara, Ames de Laine et de Soie, Saint-Rémy-en-l'Eau, 1988, p. 142)
Alexander the Great - (H. Göbel, 'Die Bildteppichmanufaktur von Felletin', Der Cicerone, 27 December 1928, p. 932).
Godefroy de Bouillon - Kunsthistoriska Museet, Lund (H. Göbel, 'Die Bildteppichmanufaktur von Felletin', Der Cicerone, 27 December 1928, p. 931).
The nine heroes divided into three groups usually included Hector, son of Priam of Troy, Alexander and Julius Caesar from classical antiquity, Judas Maccabeus, David, King of Israel, and Joshua, conqueror of Canaan, from the Hebrew Law, and King Arthur, Charlemagne and Godefroy de Bouillon as the Christian Law. As a group, the nine represent all facets of the perfect warrior and are embodiments of wisdom and chivalric heroism. All, with the exception of Hector, are conquering heroes and most came from royal families. All brought glory and honour to their nations and were noted for their personal prowess in arms. As individuals, each displayed some outstanding quality of chivalry, which, in combination with their historical context, made them exemplars of knighthood.
The first mention of the Nine Worthies was in a novel entitled Les voeux du paon (The Vows of the Peacock), written by the poet Jacques de Longuyon for Thibaut de Bar (d. 1312), bishop of Liège in circa 1312. Guillaume de Machaut (d. 1377) took up the subject again in his La Prise d'Alexandrie (The Capture of Alexandria) in 1370 - 1371,
CHARLEMAGNE
Charlemagne was legendary because of the peace and stability his rule brought to a Europe trying to emerge from the Dark Ages. His rule was synonymous with the rise of the first truly European civilization in recorded history. In being crowned by the Pope, Charlemagne used the power of the church to increase his own by linking his authority with God. In many respects, the reign of Charlemagne was regarded as a prime example of wisdom and lawgiving.
ORIGIN IN TAPESTRIES
The earliest survival of a series devoted to The Nine Worthies is that in The Metropolitan Museum of Art which was woven in the Southern Netherlands in 1400 - 1410, but it follows a completely different scheme from the offered lot (A. Cavallo, Medieval Tapestries in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1993, cat. 2, pp. 94 - 124). It was in the late 15th century that the Marche workshops in the region of Aubusson and Felletin took up the theme depicting the heroes on horseback. A document of 1546 records that Jehan Chartier from Bourges commissioned a set from Léonard Deveau and Joseph Laurent, weavers in Felletin (D. + P. Chevalier and P.-F. Bertrand, Les Tapisseries d'Aubusson et de Felletin, Lausanne, 1988, p. 20).
A very similar interpretation of the theme with the heroes on horseback although represented with more movement, was also woven in Brussels in the workshop of Jakob II Geubels in the early 17th century (S. Schneeblag-Perelman, 'Les neuf Preux et les Sept Vertus', Artes Belgicae, L'Art brabançon au milieu du XVIe Siècle et les Tapisseries du Château de Wawel a Cracovie, Brussels, 1974, pp. 201 - 227).
EXAMPLES FROM THE SERIES
A set of seven panels depicting Hector, Alexander, Ceasar, David, Joshua, Arthur and Godefroy is at château de Langeais and was probably made for the château de Chauray between 1525 and 1540 (M. Jarry, 'La Collection de Tapisseries du Château de Langeais', Bulletin de la Societé de l'Histoire de l'Art Français, Paris, 1973, pp. 50 - 53).
Further recorded examples include:
Judas Maccabeus - (J. Boccara, Ames de Laine et de Soie, Saint-Rémy-en-l'Eau, 1988, p. 142)
Alexander the Great - (H. Göbel, 'Die Bildteppichmanufaktur von Felletin', Der Cicerone, 27 December 1928, p. 932).
Godefroy de Bouillon - Kunsthistoriska Museet, Lund (H. Göbel, 'Die Bildteppichmanufaktur von Felletin', Der Cicerone, 27 December 1928, p. 931).