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Conference Between Scipio and Hannibal Before the Battle of Zama (from the series The Story of Scipio Africanus)
Woven by: Nicaise Aerts (Belgian, 16th century)
Flemish (Brussels)
Second half of the 16th or first quarter of the 17th century
Object Place: Brussels, Flanders
Medium/Technique
wool warp, wool and silk wefts; tapestry
Dimensions
Overall: 458.5 cm (180 1/2 in.)
Other (Top Edge): 458.5 cm (180 1/2 in.)
Other (Top Edge): 458.5 cm (180 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Miss Harriet Sarah Walker
Accession Number04.279
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope, Fashion and Textiles
ClassificationsTextiles
DescriptionThe subject derives from the various accounts of the deeds of Publius Cornelius Scipio, called Africanus, during the Second Punic War. In this tapestry two men converse across a stream which disappears into a distant landscape. Groups of soldiers appear behind each man. A group of elephants at the far left identify Hannibal's army. Through Masinissa, Hannibal arranged to have a a conference with Scipio to try to win acceptable terms of peace. An elderly woman sits in the lower left corner of the field. Two richly dressed women sit in the lower right corner, and a child holding an ewer kneels at their feet. The border shows rich bouquets of fruits and flowers alternating with allegorical or narrative vignettes.
InscriptionsThe conference shows a mark which corresponds to that of the brussels weaver Nicaise Aerts. The mark appears woven into the lower part of the right outer guard.
ProvenanceHarriet Sarah Walker (b. 1843 - d. 1898), Boston; to her sister, Mary Sophia Walker (b. 1839 - d. 1904), Boston; 1904, gift of Harriet Sarah Walker, through the bequest of Mary Sophia Walker, to the MFA. (Accession Date: May 1, 1904)