Spring: Fishing Scene

Series Title: Four Seasons

designed c. 1535, woven mid- to late 1600s

manufacturer

possibly by Gobelins Manufactory

(France, Paris, est. 1662)

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Culture

France

Medium

Wool, silk, and gold filé: tapestry weave

Measurements

Overall: 255 x 266 cm (100 3/8 x 104 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Francis Ginn, Marian Ginn Jones, Barbara Ginn Griesinger, and Alexander Ginn in memory of Frank Hadley Ginn and Cornelia Root Ginn 1952.544.1

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Spring was considered to be a season of courtship and romance; perhaps the gentleman on the bridge in the red cap is trying to catch the attention of the lady next to him.

Description

In this springtime scene, two fishermen wade in a river, dragging a net suspended between two poles. A noble couple on a bridge gestures toward other fishermen, who occupy the other side of this scene in other extant examples of this tapestry with a larger picture plane. In the background, townspeople walk on bridges that lead to the gateway of a town with brick walls and portals. In the far distance, farmers till the soil to sow new seeds, another typical activity associated with spring. The trees on the hills are just beginning to sprout new buds.