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Honor from the series "The Honors"

Designer Design attributed to Bernard van Orley Netherlandish
designed before 1520, woven between 1525 and 1532
Not on view
The enthroned and bearded personification of Honor receives the victor's laurel crown from Virtue and Victory. Majesty and Respect sit like handmaidens at Honor's feet, and the most lauded rulers of history, each identified by name, flank his throne; below are ten virtuous women, plucked from mythology, the Bible and more recent apocryphal histories. The central scribe peruses the list of Honor's celebrants, whilst in the foreground an unruly mob of historical and literary protagonists beseige Honor's pavilion.

This tapestry was part of a seven-piece set presenting an allegorical guide to the qualities which a successful ruler should espouse. The set was made for Cardinal Erard de la Marck (1472–1538), Prince-Bishop of Liège, and loyal envoy and financial backer of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Honor from the series "The Honors"
  • Designer: Design attributed to Bernard van Orley (Netherlandish, Brussels ca. 1492–1541/42 Brussels) and workshop, with collaborators
  • Date: designed before 1520, woven between 1525 and 1532
  • Culture: Netherlandish, probably Brussels
  • Medium: Wool and silk (wefts); wool (warps): 6-7 warp threads per cm.
  • Dimensions: confirmed: 15 ft. 2 1/16 in. × 26 ft. 2 9/16 in. (462.5 × 799 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Tapestries
  • Credit Line: Purchase, 2014 Benefit and Director’s Funds, several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, Ambassador and Mrs. W. L. Lyons Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Chilton Jr., and Josephine Jackson Foundation Gifts, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.396
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
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The Final Assault on the Boar, or December from a set of the Hunts of Maximilian, Bernard van Orley , probably Netherlandish, Wool, silk (19-21 warps per inch, 8-9 per cm.), French, Paris
The Final Assault on the Boar, or December from a set of the Hunts of Maximilian
Multiple artists/makers
designed ca. 1531, woven 1692–93
Adoration of the Kings, Bernard van Orley or a member of his workshop Netherlandish, Wool, silk, silver, silver-gilt thread (20 warps per inch, 8 per cm.), Netherlandish, Brussels
Adoration of the Kings
Multiple artists/makers
1525–1535
August from a set of Medallion Months, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Wool, silk (20 warps per inch, 8 per cm.), Netherlandish, Brussels
August from a set of Medallion Months
Bernard van Orley
ca. 1525–28
The Twelve Ages of a Man: The First Three Ages (Birth-18), or Spring, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Wool, silk (16-20 warps per inch, 6-8 per cm.), Netherlandish, Brussels
The Twelve Ages of a Man: The First Three Ages (Birth-18), or Spring
Bernard van Orley
ca. 1515
The Crucifixion, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Wool, silk, silver thread, silver-gilt thread (20-21 warps per inch, 7-8 per cm.), Netherlandish, Brussels
The Crucifixion
Multiple artists/makers
design ca. 1515, woven ca. 1525

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