Court Scene (Seigneuriale tapestry)

This tapestry is a fragment of a larger composition which shows a courtly gathering in a landscape. This type of work is typically called a "seigneuriale" tapestry. In the foreground, a messenger wearing a wide-sleeved, ermine-lined cloak delivers a letter to a woman seated on a throne comprised of classical, Corinthian columns. A company of male and female courtiers wearing fancy costumes are disposed across the left of the tapestry in two tiers. The subject can perhaps be identified as Queen Esther hearing of Haman's plot as there are close compositional parallels between this tapestry and a complete Esther tapestry in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The tapestry's borders have winding branches of leaves and fruits. The Renaissance architectural elements, the elaborate costumes, and relatively large size of the figures vis-a-vis the surroundings suggests that the tapestry was produced in Brussels around 1500-1510.