Panel from a table carpet showing the Four Continents, the Seasons, and Four Planets

Unknown

between 1662 and 1680 · Linen and silk satin, embroidered with silk and wool, passementerie of silk thread, silk-wrapped parchment, and metal · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This embroidered panel and MMA 64.101.1348 were probably the two ends of a decorative table carpet. The practice of covering tables with precious textiles began in Europe in the thirteenth century, when some imported pile carpets from the Middle East were considered too fine to be walked upon. The motifs of the Seasons and the Planets refer to the passage of time.

Artist

Unknown

Date

between 1662 and 1680

Medium

Linen and silk satin, embroidered with silk and wool, passementerie of silk thread, silk-wrapped parchment, and metal

Culture

British

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964