Anonymous: The Triumph of Fame over Death (1500-1530)

(Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA)

A tapestry made by unknown 16th century Flemish artists. This piece comes from a set of tapestries from the château de Septmonts, the of the bishops of Soissons. The set was probably commissioned by bishop Symphorien de Bullioud. The tapestry is an allegory. Riding in a chariot is the goddess Pheme/ Fama, the personification of fame and renown. She has wings and is blowing her trumpet whit which she spreads fame. The chariot is pulled by 2 elephants (elephants were rarely seen in 16th century Europe so artists usually copied depictions of them from previous artists). By blowing her trumpet, Fama is announcing the approach of 4 famous men: the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle and the rulers Alexander the Great and Charlemagne. Symbolic the chariot of Fama crushes Death beneath her chariot - symbolizing the triumph of fame over death. The tapestry has been cut at the top, and the single remaining line of the inscription "By her power as a lady of consequence" relates to the triumph. Tapestry from 1500-1530.