Honor from the series "The Honors"

Bernard van Orley

designed before 1520, woven between 1525 and 1532 · Wool and silk (wefts); wool (warps): 6-7 warp threads per cm. · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The enthroned and bearded personification of Honor receives the victor's laurel crown from Virtue and Victory. Majesty and Respect sit like handmaidens at Honor's feet, and the most lauded rulers of history, each identified by name, flank his throne; below are ten virtuous women, plucked from mythology, the Bible and more recent apocryphal histories. The central scribe peruses the list of Honor's celebrants, whilst in the foreground an unruly mob of historical and literary protagonists beseige Honor's pavilion. This tapestry was part of a seven-piece set presenting an allegorical guide to the qualities which a successful ruler should espouse. The set was made for Cardinal Erard de la Marck (1472–1538), Prince-Bishop of Liège, and loyal envoy and financial backer of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Artist

Bernard van Orley

Date

designed before 1520, woven between 1525 and 1532

Medium

Wool and silk (wefts); wool (warps): 6-7 warp threads per cm.

Culture

Netherlandish, probably Brussels

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Purchase, 2014 Benefit and Director’s Funds, several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, Ambassador and Mrs. W. L. Lyons Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Chilton Jr., and Josephine Jackson Foundation Gifts, 2015