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Madrigal

Artist (American, 1879 - 1963)
Manufacturer (c. 1913 - 1933)
Datec. 1930
Mediumwoven with silk and wool; vegetable dyes
Dimensions85 1/2 x 107 3/4 inches (217.2 x 273.7 cm)
Credit LineBequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965
Object number81.1.1
ClassificationsTextiles
Label TextDesigns of the fifteenth century inspired this weaving. Kleiser wrote, “Madrigal tells the story of the times, when nobility played at taking part in the simple tasks of life.” He explained that the nobles would dress as peasants. They would go into the country acting as shepherds, taking musical instruments. “And they would play and sing and recite, in an effort to create a ‘Shangri-La’ for themselves, as a release from the gayety and intrigue of court life. . . . The background is known as millefleur (thousand flowers). This brought the beauty of the fields indoors to decorate the stone walls. The shield represents the nobility who were the patrons of the tapestry weavers.”
ProvenanceLorentz Kleiser [1879-1963]; purchased February 22, 1949 by H.J. Lutcher Stark [1887-1965]; bequeathed September 2, 1965 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art
On View
Not on view
The Story
Lorentz Kleiser
1925
The Boar Hunt
Lorentz Kleiser
David and Abigail
Lorentz Kleiser
1926
The Dancers
Lorentz Kleiser
Autumn
Lorentz Kleiser
1927
Vulcan (with Venus and Cupid)
Lorentz Kleiser
c. 1925
Untitled
Lorentz Kleiser
Basket
Hopi
Basket
Hopi
c. 1890
Chief Blanket
Diné (Navajo)
1880-1890
Blanket
Diné (Navajo)
c. 1870
World Traveler
Melissa Cody
2014