Venus and Adonis (?) with the Duck Hunt
c. 1600
Medium
Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave Warp: Count: 7 warps per cm; wool: S-ply of three Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.7–0.9 mm Weft: Count: varies from 17 to 30 wefts per cm; wool: S-ply of two Z-spun elements; pairs of S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.5–1.2 mm; silk: pairs of S-ply of two Z-twisted elements; diameters: 0.5–1.2. mm
Dimensions
262.5 × 344.4 cm (103 3/8 × 135 3/8 in.)
Classification
weaving - tapestry
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
2581
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Based on the 10th book of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, this scene may depict the goddess Venus and the hunter Adonis at the moment in which she warns him about the dangers of hunting. Ignoring her warning, Adonis is later killed by a boar. In the background, men in contemporary dress conduct a hunt, a popular pastime of the privileged elite. The border of the tapestry displays an array of allegorical, biblical, and mythological scenes and figures. Overall the composition gives the impression of recedin...