Border Designs for the Mortlake "Acts of the Apostles" Tapestries
ca. 1626–36
Medium
Watercolor with white heightening, details in pen and ink and graphite
Dimensions
Sheet (each): 36 3/8 × 4 5/16 in. (92.5 × 10.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2021
Accession Number
2021.186a, b
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 17th-century English royal patronage with Franz Cleyn's *Border Designs for the Mort "Acts of the Apostles Tapestries* (ca. 1626–36). Cleyn, a Danish-born who became the director of designs at the Mortlake Tapestry Works—the crown's premier manufactory founded by James I in 1619—crafted these intricate preparatory drawings. Tall and narrow (each sheet measures 36⅜ × 4¼ inches), they frame the monumental tapestries depicting scenes from the New Testament, blending classical motifs with lush floral and figural elements to evoke grandeur. Executed in watercolor wit...