Cimabue
Tapestry
1881 (made)
1881 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Tapestry panel depicting Renaissance artist Cimabue wearing a stylised version of medieval dress and posed one foot in front of the other with a fan-shaped easel in his left hand and paint brush, prepared with crimson paint, ready to paint with his right hand. The composition has a gold-coloured ground and the figure stands on a plinth inscribed 'CIMABUE'. A plain brown border surrounds the central composition with a woven gold-coloured inscription reading 'ROYAL WINDSOR TAPESTRY' and symbol a on the top and 'HERBERT BONE INVI' on the lower edge.
The figure wears a close-fitting liripipe hood and cloak with blue lining, leggings and a short patterned tunic with elaborate gold-coloured edging. Similar decoration can be seen on his belt and purse, shoe decoration and leggings' bands. The figure is bearded and shows a full fringe of hair beneath his hood.
The tapestry is finely woven in wool (figure and border) and silk (background and figure details) on a cotton warp at 24 threads to the inch. Interlocking tapestry technique was employed at colour intersections.
The figure wears a close-fitting liripipe hood and cloak with blue lining, leggings and a short patterned tunic with elaborate gold-coloured edging. Similar decoration can be seen on his belt and purse, shoe decoration and leggings' bands. The figure is bearded and shows a full fringe of hair beneath his hood.
The tapestry is finely woven in wool (figure and border) and silk (background and figure details) on a cotton warp at 24 threads to the inch. Interlocking tapestry technique was employed at colour intersections.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Cimabue (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Wool tapestry and silk on a cotton warp |
| Brief description | Tapestry panel depicting 'Cimabue', wool and silk on a cotton warp, designed by Herbert A. Bone, woven by Royal Windsor Tapestry Manufactory, Great Britain, 1881. |
| Physical description | Tapestry panel depicting Renaissance artist Cimabue wearing a stylised version of medieval dress and posed one foot in front of the other with a fan-shaped easel in his left hand and paint brush, prepared with crimson paint, ready to paint with his right hand. The composition has a gold-coloured ground and the figure stands on a plinth inscribed 'CIMABUE'. A plain brown border surrounds the central composition with a woven gold-coloured inscription reading 'ROYAL WINDSOR TAPESTRY' and symbol a on the top and 'HERBERT BONE INVI' on the lower edge. The figure wears a close-fitting liripipe hood and cloak with blue lining, leggings and a short patterned tunic with elaborate gold-coloured edging. Similar decoration can be seen on his belt and purse, shoe decoration and leggings' bands. The figure is bearded and shows a full fringe of hair beneath his hood. The tapestry is finely woven in wool (figure and border) and silk (background and figure details) on a cotton warp at 24 threads to the inch. Interlocking tapestry technique was employed at colour intersections. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | Purchased. Registered File number 1990/106. The design was originally made by Herbert Bone in 1881 as part of a set of mosaics depicting saints and historic figures to be made by Dr A. Salviati, formerly an eminent Venetian lawyer whose work can be seen in St Paul's Cathedral, the Albert Memorial, both in London, and All Saints Church, Windsor. Bone's designs do not appear to have been used by Salviati but tapestries were made from the designs some years later. According to Gordon G. Cunningham (The Royal Windsor Tapestry Manufactory 1876-1890, Vol. IV, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Historical Records Publications, 1979) this panel was hitherto lost, last recorded as part of a screen exhibited at the Chicago World Fair in 1893. However, from the rather poor illustration from the catalogue, reproduced by Cunningham, this panel would appear to be a different weaving. It is possible, therefore, that more than one version was woven by the Royal Windsor Tapestry Works. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.153-1990 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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