The Death of St Paul
Pieter Coecke van Aelst (nach)
Brussels, ca 1535/40
Tapestry woven in wool, silk, silver and gold thread
425,5 x 737,0 cm
Inv.-Nr. T 3856
From the Royal Collections of the House of Wittelsbach
Gallery 22
This series of nine tapestries depicts the life and deeds of the Apostle Paul; the last scene represents the beheading of the saint. The hangings were woven around the middle of the 16th century in a Brussels workshop. Duke Albrecht V acquired the series, the only one today preserved in its entirety, for the decoration of his residences. The designer of the tapestries, Pieter Coecke van Aelst, was one of the so-called ‘Flemish Romanists’, painters whose works reveal the influence of Italian Renaissance art, particularly that of Raphael and Giulio Romano. Coecke van Aelst had actually travelled to Italy. His dramatic scenes set into varied landscapes or impressive palatial structures testify to this important experience.
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
des Bayerischen Nationalmuseum
