Allegorical Tapestry with Sages of the Past

The two sections, originally conjoined, feature standing figures paired as if in conversation. Represented, from left to right, are Saints Thomas Aquinas, Bernhard, Augustine, Job, Cato (the younger), and Seneca, each identified in a titulus above. The figures stand on free-floating consoles. Judging from two other fragments that share the same designs, the hanging originally had at least twelve figures drawn from diverse ages and sources, including antiquity, the Hebrew Bible, histories, and popular culture.

The quatrains in the inscribed banderoles are taken from the poem Practical Wisdom written by the 13th-century poet Freidank and preserved in a handful of Upper Rhenish/Swabian manuscripts dating to the 1460s and 70s. Collectively, these erudite figures form an allegorical compendium of late medieval learning and related moral and spiritual values. Job, for example, admonishes the viewer: "Be willingly alone and keep your thoughts pure, and have the Ten Commandments before your eyes, and above all love God." These rare hangings are distinguished by the high quality of weaving, the richness of design, the intriguing subject matter, and the insight they provide into to medieval thought and ethics.

How was this tapestry made?

The tapestry was woven in a discontinuous weft-faced plain weave, where the underlying structure—undyed linen warp—was covered with dyed wool and metal thread weft. Cut weft loops create a pile-like effect in small areas of the floral background, and metal thread is most noticeably used in the jeweled clasp of St. Thomas’s cope. Dye analysis revealed the use of four dyes common in medieval Europe—weld(?), orchil, madder, and an indigotin-containing dye such as woad.


During a recent conservation treatment at the Museum, the distorted weave structure was realigned and fragile areas were stabilized with stitches to a fabric support to strengthen the panels for display. While the height of the panels is almost complete, the original width of the weaving remains unknown. There is a loss between the two panels, which is indicated by a gap.