European Tapestry Exhibition, Vilnius

January 14, 2015

A major exhibition of European Medieval and Renaissance tapestries is showing at the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius to 18 January 2015. Extract from a review featured in HALI 182.

The high-ceilinged state rooms of the Palace of the Grand Dukes in Vilnius were seemingly made for the hanging of tapestries. Like other rulers of their time, Sigismund I the Old (r. 1506–48) and his Italian queen, Bona Sforza, amassed an extensive and valuable collection of large-scale textile works, which sadly lives on only in written records. The Vilnius exhibition therefore made a reality of early 16th-century Lithuanian heritage through loans of tapestries from two private collections, indicating an affinity with western Europe that is of significance to the modern Lithuanian nation in the post-communist era.

The Triumph of Avarice, (detail), Brussels tapestry, ca. 1520, wool and silk

The aim was to produce a survey of the main types of tapestry woven in the Netherlands, France and Italy during the 16th century, with most examples concurrent with the reign of Sigismund I and Bona Sforza. Accordingly, late Gothic court scenes, millefleurs, mythological and religious subjects, landscapes, and heraldic designs served as a comprehensive introduction for the novice while still delighting the enthusiast. Many works are previously unpublished and were on public display for the first time.

The exhibition, accompanied by a strong and well-attended educational programme, has been the cultural event of the season in Vilnius. The patron was the Prime Minister, Dr Algirdas Butkevičius, underlining the national importance of the Grand Dukes’ cultural sphere through the context of European tapestries.