Psyche in the Underworld
Flemish
Category
Tapestries
Date
circa 1660 - circa 1680
Materials
Tapestry, wool and silk, 7-8 warps per cm
Measurements
2.42 m (H); 1.58 m (W)
Place of origin
Belgium
Order this imageCollection
Speke Hall, Merseyside
NT 1197390.1
Summary
Tapestry, wool and silk, 7-8 warps per cm, Psyche in the Underworld from a set of three of the Story of Psyche, Flemish, c. 1660-1680. Psyche, wearing a red dress and with flowing auburn hair, steps forward uncertainly with her arms held out before her. She is seen through a rocky opening and behind her is a barren landscape with little fires burning throughout. The tapestry has borders of flowers, ribbons, pots and monkeys on a dark brown ground, but these have been sewn on and are probably not all original to the main scene, as parts of them have a higher warp count.
Full description
After attempting to discover the identity of her husband Cupid, Psyche was cast out from his palace and wandered alone before deciding to dedicate herself to the service of Venus. Venus, jealous of the girl’s beauty, set her a series of cruel tasks, the last of which was to descend to the underworld and obtain a portion of the beauty of Proserpina. The tapestry shows Psyche walking through the forbidding landscape of the underworld with obvious trepidation. (Helen Wyld, 2014)
Provenance
Miss Adeleide Watt (1857-1921); Trustees of the late Miss Adeleide Watt, 1921-1942; National Trust from 1943
Makers and roles
Flemish, workshop
References
Clifford, 1975: Timothy Clifford, 'G.B. Castello's designs for the 'Cupid and Psyche' tapestries’, Burlington Magazine, April 1975, pp. 234-238 Reyniès 1995: Nicole de Reniès, ‘Jean van Orley: Une Tenture de l’Histoire de Psyché’, Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 6th series, no. 125 (March 1995), pp. 209-20 Fenaille, 1903-1923: Maurice Fenaille, État général des tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins depuis son origine jusqu’à nos jours, 1600-1900, 4 vols., Paris, 1903-1923