The Martyrdom of Saint Paul (from the series "The Life of Saint Peter")
about 1460
Object PlaceFrance or the Franco- Flemish territories
Medium/TechniqueWool warp, wool, silk and metal-wrapped wefts; tapestry weave
Dimensions286 x 205 cm (112 5/8 x 80 11/16 in.)
Credit LineBartlett Collection—Museum purchase with funds from the Francis Bartlett Donation of 1912
Accession number38.758
On View
Not on viewClassificationsTextiles
Collections
ProvenanceAbout 1460, commissioned by Guillaume de Hellande (d. 1462), Bishop of Beauvais, for the cathedral of Beauvais; about 1793, removed from the cathedral [see note 1]. 1844, returned to the cathedral by M. Mansard, Voisinlieu (near Beauvais) [see note 2]; 1906, given back to the Mansard family [see note 3]. 1925, Arnold, Seligmann, Rey and Co., New York [see note 4]. William Randolph Hearst (b. 1863 - d. 1951), New York. 1938, Arnold, Seligmann Rey and Co., New York; 1938; sold by Arnold, Seligmann Rey to the MFA for $35,000. (Accession Date: April 16, 1938)
NOTES:
[1] This was part of a series of narrative tapestries depicting the Life of Saint Peter, presented by Guillaume de Hellande to the cathedral in commemoration of the truce signed at Tours during the Hundred Years' War. The series was dismantled and removed from the church during the French Revolution. See Pierre Constant Barraud, "Notice sur les tapisseries de la Cathédrale de Beauvais," Mémoires de la Société Académique du Département de l'Oise 2 (1852): 167-172.
[2] Five tapestries from the series, which had been used to cover the walls of the criminal court, were returned to the cathedral in that year, and Mr. Mansard returned this tapestry at the same time. See Barraud 1852 (as above, n. 1), p. 172.
[3] Marthe Crick-Kuntziger, "A Fragment of Guillaume de Hellande's Tapestries," Burlington Magazine 45, no. 260 (November, 1924), pp. 225-226.
[4] George Leland Hunter, "Notes on Various Works of Art," Burlington Magazine 46, no. 265 (April, 1925), p. 193.
NOTES:
[1] This was part of a series of narrative tapestries depicting the Life of Saint Peter, presented by Guillaume de Hellande to the cathedral in commemoration of the truce signed at Tours during the Hundred Years' War. The series was dismantled and removed from the church during the French Revolution. See Pierre Constant Barraud, "Notice sur les tapisseries de la Cathédrale de Beauvais," Mémoires de la Société Académique du Département de l'Oise 2 (1852): 167-172.
[2] Five tapestries from the series, which had been used to cover the walls of the criminal court, were returned to the cathedral in that year, and Mr. Mansard returned this tapestry at the same time. See Barraud 1852 (as above, n. 1), p. 172.
[3] Marthe Crick-Kuntziger, "A Fragment of Guillaume de Hellande's Tapestries," Burlington Magazine 45, no. 260 (November, 1924), pp. 225-226.
[4] George Leland Hunter, "Notes on Various Works of Art," Burlington Magazine 46, no. 265 (April, 1925), p. 193.
3rd-4th century AD
woodcuts by Virgil Solis of Nuremberg
Late 16th or first half of 17th century
A.D. 1000–1476
Barberini Manufactory
1663–1679
Barberini Manufactory
1663–1679
Second half of the 16th century or first quarter of the 17th century
First third of the 16th century
Last quarter of the 16th or first half of the 17th century
