c. 1710

Wall Hanging

This embroidered textile is part of a set of horizontal and vertical wall panels that likely framed architectural or decorative elements in a room of an Italian palazzo. The rondels feature classical and mythological stories that may have told a progressive narrative once installed. The one on the left illustrates a pivotal scene from Homer’s Iliad, the flight of Helen and the Trojan prince Paris from the court of Helen’s husband, King Menelaus of Sparta. Helen’s departure sparked the Trojan War and led to the death of her beloved Paris in the ensuing battle. In the rondel on the right, Zeus, the father of the Greek gods, takes the form of a bull to abduct Europa, daughter of King Agenor of Tyre.