FLEMISH HISTORICAL TAPESTRY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND THE CAPTURE OF TYRE
POSSIBLY TOURNAI, LATE 16TH CENTURY
£22,000
Auction: 22 October 2013 at 18:00 BST
Description
woven in wool and silk, Alexander stands in the left foreground accompanied by officers and the captured King of Tyre in a cart behind, before him are laid the shields and arms of the defeated Tyreans, in the distance a fleet of galleys rest in the bay; within a four side wide foliate border with putti and allegorical figures
Dimensions
519cm long x 315cm high
Footnote
Note: The Siege of Tyre in 332 BC was orchestrated by Alexander the Great during his campaign against the Persians. After the city of Tyre refused to surrender to the Macedonians, Alexander was forced to build a causeway to allow access to what was both a strategic coastal base and an island surrounded by impenetrable walls. It was said that Alexander was so enraged by both the Tyrians' defence and the great loss of his men that he destroyed half the city and killed around 6,000-8,000 civilians, before taking a further 30,000 residents to be sold into slavery.
Literature: Brosens, Koenraad; Mayer Thurman, Christa C. (general editor) 'European Tapestries in the Art Institute of Chicago', Yale University Press 2008, p. 229, fig. 4 for a similar example.