Presentation of the Calydonian Boar’s Head, from The Story of Meleager and Atalanta

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Presentation of the Calydonian Boar’s Head, from The Story of Meleager and Atalanta

Place of OriginBelgium, Brussels

Dateabout 1530-1535

DimensionsH: 11 ft. 4 in. (3.5 m); W: 16 ft. 10 in. (5.1 m)

MediumWool and silk tapestry

ClassificationTextiles and Fiber

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1928.204

Not on View

Label TextLavish in design and execution, this intricate textile features scenes from the ancient Greek story of Meleager and Atalanta, the earliest representation of the subject in a Flemish tapestry. When Meleager’s father, King Oeneus of Calydon, neglects to sacrifice at the temple of Artemis, the enraged goddess of the hunt sends a gigantic boar to terrorize the Caledonian people. Meleager calls a hunt for the beast, which his uncles and the virgin huntress Atalanta join. Atalanta’s arrow draws first blood, but Meleager kills the boar. He generously awards the trophy of the head to Atalanta, which infuriates his uncles. When they try to take it, Meleager kills them. The primary scene depicts Atalanta and Meleager’s ceremonial presentation of the boar’s head and hide to the priests at the temple of Artemis, while King Oeneus and his court look on. Two scenes in the background bring the story to its tragic conclusion. On the left, Meleager’s mother, Althea, refuses pleas to forgive her son for her brothers’ deaths. On the right, Meleager collapses as his angry mother throws a cursed log on the fire that, when burned, will end her son’s life.Published ReferencesPantheon, Munich, March 1929, repr. p. 133.

Toledo Museum of Art, "A Mythological Tapestry", Museum News, December 1929, no. 55, p.5-6, repr. p. 6.

Freund, Frank E.W., "Austellungen und Neverwerbungen der Amerikanischen Museen," Der Cicerone, 1930, p. 65-74.

Asselberghs, Jean-Paul, Les Tapisseries Flamandes aux Etats-Unis D'Amerique, Brussels, 1974, p.22.

Gorney, Michaelene, "Musical Instruments: Brasses", Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, vol. 20, no. 4, 1978, p.106, repr. fig. 17 (det.)

Onghena, M.J., "Vlaamse wandtapijten in het stadhius te Middelburg (Zeeland)," Artes Textiles, vol.8, 1974, p.13, 14, Afg. 3.

The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 130-31, repr. (col.) and (det.).