"The Erythraean and Cumaen Sibyls"

c. 1515

A GOTHIC TAPESTRY REPRESENTING "THE ERYTHRAEAN AND CUMAEN SIBYLS" (Flemish, 16th century), Tournai circa 1515. The tapestry depicts the Gothic theme of the secret garden. Centered by a sacred fountain, symbolic of the divine word, a dense foliate field sprouts roses (symbolizing the virgin) and poppies (symbolizing the earth). Two sibyls, prophetesses announcing the coming of Christ, stand to the left and right, while at their feet sit a unicorn - a symbol of purity and Jesus - and a griffin - also a symbol of Jesus, as well as the uniting of the terrestrial and the aerial.

Flemish

Woven wool and silk

135" x 119"

Bequest of Mr. Harold S. Vanderbilt.

PSNC.526