The Twelve Ages of a Man: The Second Three Ages (18-36), or Autumn

Bernard van Orley

ca. 1515 · Wool, silk (16-20 warps per inch, 6-8 per cm.) · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This is the third in a set of four tapestries illustrating the life of a man as divided into twelve periods of six years. Bacchus, in the center, stands for the autumn of life; the symbols and occupations of three months, July, August, and September, represent the years from ages 36 to 54. The stories show the centaur Chiron sharing his knowledge by teaching medicine to the young Aesculapius; Joseph directing the gathering of the harvest in anticipation of the lean years to come; and Hercules gathering the golden apples of the Hesperides, the last of his twelve labors.

Artist

Bernard van Orley

Date

ca. 1515

Medium

Wool, silk (16-20 warps per inch, 6-8 per cm.)

Culture

Netherlandish, Brussels

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of The Hearst Foundation, in memory of William Randolph Hearst, 1953