The Tree of Life
Unknown Artist
first half 17th century
Medium
Canvas worked with silk thread; tent, Gobelin, and couching stitches
Dimensions
H. 22 1/2 x W. 24 1/8 inches (57.2 x 61.3 cm); Framed dim.: H. 25 1/2 x W. 27 1/4 x D. 2 1/4 inches (64.8 x 69.2. x 5.7 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.1305
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection, *The Tree of Life* a captivating 17th-century British textile, gifted by Irwin Untermyer in 4. Created by an unknown artist in the first of the century, this 22½ × 24⅛-inch panel bursts with life: a central tree laden with fruit teems with unicorns,ocks, camels, deer, dogs, goats, butterflies snails, squirrels, birds and even fish, evoking a paradisiacal vision of abundance and harmony. Masterfully worked on canvas with vibrant silk threads, the piece showcases advanced embroidery techniques of the ...