A Millefleurs Tapestry
Did you know? A snippet of art history
This millefleurs tapestry shaped my career path. I was an art history major in Detroit and the professor told us to go to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) and pick any object that appealed to us and to research the heck out of it. This was what I selected. Please indulge me in a small bit of art history as I reminisce. And, since learning is good for our mental health, you’re boosting your wellness as you read!
I began my research by going through the files that the registrar had at the DIA. It turned out there were related tapestries in Scotland and Belgium. I wrote letters (this was pre-Internet) to curators at those museums and they wrote back! As an undergraduate student, I was thrilled to have international curators writing to me! In the end, my paper, titled The Mystery and the Beauty of a Late Medieval Millefleurs Tapestry uncovered more questions than answers about the history of this tapestry as well as the possible connections to the other tapestries.
One of the related pieces from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow is pictured below. According to the Burrell today, the two tapestries were definitely commissioned by the same family. Back when I wrote my paper, I could just speculate about that. They both have the red background, the flowers, similar layout, and the same tree stump in both.
Part of what I did find out was that the DIA tapestry was woven in the early 1500s in what's now Belgium. The center of the tapestry shows a brick wall enclosing griffon with his eagle claws resting on the wall. Griffons were introduced to Europe from the East and became a favorite medieval motif. The knotted cord around the edge is thought to represent the Order of the Dames de la Cordeliere started by Anne of Brittany in 1498. This honor was bestowed on the ladies of her court.
The paper (can’t believe I still have it after all these years!) is 15 pages long. It covered the provenance, the iconography, related tapestries, and more. I’ll share a tiny portion of the paper about the flower motifs. “The realistic flowers of the DIA tapestry were woven for the visual delight, but they were also associated with symbolic meanings during the Middle Ages. Blue forget-me-knots, found in five places, represented fidelity because of its color and were also associated with lovers. The violets, found in two places, was among the favorite of medieval flowers and was most likely grown in every castle garden. Usually it was included in all millefleurs tapestries and is associated with Mary because of its humility.”
In the end, it was a fun paper to write! Also, this paper led to my interest in historic textiles which led to me going to graduate school and getting an MA in European decorative arts and museum studies. All these years later, I'm here to share my interest with you in art, decorative arts, and museums. And that interest later became woven within the wellness benefits of art and museums due to my second career as a psychotherapist. Thanks for being along for the ride!
-Millefleurs Tapestry with the Coat of Arms of the Brachet and other Families of Orléans, Blois and Anjou, between 1500 and 1520, wool and silk, weft-faced, plain weave, discontinuous wefts. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, General Membership Fund, 56.190.
-Wildman Guarding a Coat of Arms. France (probably) (place of design); France, Paris (probably) (place of manufacture) or Southern Netherlands, Spanish Netherlands, Flanders, Bruges (probably) (place of manufacture). Date, circa 1485. Materials: wool (warps), wool (wefts), silk (wefts). Burrell Collection, Glasgow, public domain.
Well this was fun! It sent me down a whole new rabbit hole.
Looked up definition of "millefleurs" ..... and then "tapestry". I wish I could watch the making of a tapestry....
I feel like I’m learning a little more of art history every time I read one of your articles. And your background in art history as well! Very nice! Thank you Susan!