The Abduction of Helen from a set of The Story of Troy

Unknown

probably first half 17th century · Cotton, embroidered with silk and gilt-paper-wrapped thread, pigment · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

From 1557, the Portuguese contracted with the Ming rulers of China to buy control of Macau, a coastal peninsula near Hong Kong. Sailing between Asia and Iberia, trade enabled an abundance of spices, but also of textiles, to enter Europe. This heady moment of mutual discovery provides the context for Francisco Mascarenhas, governor of Macau, to commission this unusual hanging. The scale and conventions of Flemish tapestry are translated into Chinese embroidery. Familiar European subject matter, loosely based on Homer’s Iliad and informed by printed sources, is marvelously charged with Asian decorative details– such as the shields hanging from the Trojan galley– and a Portuguese border articulated by snake-battling sirens and (slightly erroneous) renditions of the Mascarenhas family arms. At some point in the hanging's history, the embroidered silk in all the flesh areas was cut away and replaced with paint for reasons that remain unclear.

Artist

Unknown

Date

probably first half 17th century

Medium

Cotton, embroidered with silk and gilt-paper-wrapped thread, pigment

Culture

Chinese, Macao, for export market

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Louis E. Seley, 1979