The Holy Family with the Infant Christ Pressing the Wine of the Eucharist
1485/1525
Medium
Linen, wool, silk, and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk; slit tapestry weave Warp: Count: 10 warps per cm; linen: S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.4–0.5 mm. Weft: Count: varies from 28 to 64 wefts per cm; wool: single Z-spun elements; S-ply of two Z-spun elements; pairs of S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameters; 0.25–0.65 mm; silk: four elements possibly with a slight S- or slight Z-twist; three Z-twisted elements; S-ply of two Z-twisted elements; pairs of S-ply of two Z-twisted elements; three yarns of S-ply of two Z- twisted elements; Z-ply of two S-twisted elements; four yarns, two of S-ply of two Z-twisted elements and two of Z-ply of two S-twisted elements; two to four yarns of Z-ply of two and three S-twisted elements; diameters: 0.2–0.65 mm; wool and silk: paired yarns of S-ply of two Z-spun wool elements and S-ply of two Z-twisted silk elements; paired yarns of S-ply of two Z-twisted silk elements and Z-spun wool clement; diameters; 0.3–0.6 mm; gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk: gilt-metal strips wrapped in an S-direction on an S-twisted silk element; S-ply of two yarns: each a Z-ply of two S-twisted yarns of gilt-metal strips wrapped in an S-direction on a Z-twisted silk element; diameters: 0.3–0.65 mm
Dimensions
75.6 × 68.2 cm (29 3/4 × 26 7/8 in.)
Classification
weaving - tapestry
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25958
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...