Images(8)

Madrigal

Artist Lorentz Kleiser (American, 1879 - 1963)

Manufacturer Edgewater Tapestry Looms (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

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