(c) 2015 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Abraham Receives Rebecca

tapestry weaverAttributed to Jan van Tiegen (active about 1550)

Date1550-1600

Place MadeBrussels, Brabant, Belgium, Europe

MediumWool warp (6 yarns per cm); wool and silk wefts

Dimensions345.4 x 541 cm (136 x 213 in.)

ClassificationsFurnishings

Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Accession numberT19n21

Status

Not on view

Web Commentary Based on the story of Abraham as told in the Book of Genesis, this tapestry shows Abraham (at right) extending his hand to welcome Rebecca, the young woman chosen to be his son Isaac’s wife. Isaac, wearing armor, stands behind his father. Look for the next part of this story behind Isaac, where the couple’s wedding feast is taking place in a grand palace. The figures are set in a verdant landscape surrounded by a border of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. An avid gardener herself, Isabella Gardner may have enjoyed the connections between these woven landscapes, the plants in the museum’s courtyard, and the parkland of the Emerald Necklace just outside. In her typical eclectic fashion, Gardner intermingled the two tapestry cycles and hung them in seemingly random order. You can tell the two cycles apart by looking at the top of each scene: the Abraham tapestries have a Latin inscription, while the Cyrus tapestries do not.

Id729689

Last Updated8/9/24

EmbARK ObjectID12926

Alt. No. 1 (Siple)047

Original NumberT19n21-s

Source ID1969