Attributed to Jan van Tiegen (active about 1550)
Abimelech Restores Sarah to Abraham, 1550-1600
Wool warp (7 yarns per cm); wool and silk wefts , 345.4 x 396.2 cm (136 x 156 in.)
General admission for children 17 years and under is always free
This large, late 16th Century Flemish tapestry pictures an episode taken from Genesis. Center front, a crowned, white-skinned, white-bearded, richly attired, Abimelech extends a hand toward Abraham on our far right, and holds a gold scepter in his other hand. His gold and blue tunic is partially covered by a long blue and gold robe. His red knee-length leg coverings have a white fringe around the top and the face of a crowned person, possibly himself, at the front. Abraham with his front arm extended toward Abimelech, looks open-mouthed toward the King, leaning in front of Sarah, who stands between the two men. Abraham appears to be a much younger, light-skinned man with curly brown hair and beard. He wears a short, red tunic bordered in gold and has a blue, white and gold striped wrap loosely belted and hanging off one shoulder. He carries a sheathed sword. Sarah is light-skinned with long blonde hair. A red sleeve can be seen under Sarah’s beige, ankle-length garment around which a gold wrap is draped. She too wears open sandals, tied around her ankles. A short-haired, light-skinned man partially knees at the side of the king. On our left, he bears an ornate, pear-shaped bottle. This man wears gold-colored plated body amour. Behind this man and the king, a standing soldier wearing a plumed helmet holds a standard with the letters R A prominently on the front. And behind Abraham on our far right a fifth light-skinned, curly-haired and bearded-man in a blue and gold cloak, holding an ornate gold sphere bearing a face. Barely perceptible in the background between Abimelech and Sarah are five indistinct figures. In the background at the left are shepherds and cowherds. All takes place in a rural setting, the ground in beige and green leaved trees edging the top of the scene. A lush border lines the four sides of the tapestry showing fruit, flowers and vegetables. In the center of each side is a standing female figure. In the corner at the bottom left a semi-reclining women nurses a child and in the bottom right a child offers a bunch of grapes to a lounging male. The cartouche at the top has an inscription in Latin, which translates to: While Abraham sought southern lands with his wife, she, with her identity changed, was taken away.
Tapestry Room
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.