God Accuses Adam and Eve after the Fall from The Story of Creation series, design attributed to Pieter Coecke van Aelst, ca. 1548, woven under the direction of Jan de Kempeneer and Frans Ghieteels, Brussels, completed by 1551; wool, silk, and silver- and silver-gilt-wrapped threads, 15 feet 8½ inches by 22 feet 11½ inches. Depositi Arrazi, Palazzo Pitti, Florence. Photo by Bruce White.
The multimedia artist is not a new invention. This international loan exhibition presents a rich survey of the design talents of northern Renaissance master Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550), whose draftsmanship was frequently translated into projects that range from monumental tapestries to panel paintings, prints and stained glass. The 19 tapestries on view, woven in Brussels for emperors and kings of Europe, are grand exercises in composition and theatricality. Tapestries both prevented drafts and provided entertainment; great battle scenes or visual depictions of Bible stories were meant to be pored over again and again. And, given the emotional and figural drama woven into each tapestry, the contemporary viewer, too, cannot help but stand spellbound before them.