Tapestries--the art form of kings--were a principal tool used by powerful Renaissance rulers to convey their wealth and might. From 1460 to 1560, courts and churches lavished vast sums on costly weavings in silk and gold thread from designs by leading artists. In this lavishly illustrated book, the first major survey of tapestry production of this period, contributors analyze some of these & beautiful tapestries, examine the stylistic and technical development of tapestry production in the Low Countries, France, and Italy during the Renaissance, and discuss the contribution that the medium made to art, liturgy, and propaganda of the day.

This illustrated volume is a comprehensive survey of 17th century European tapestry. It features some of the finest surviving examples from many international collections, as well as a number of related designs and oil sketches.

This book is the first sustained scholastic treatment of the Life of Christ tapestries, which were commissioned by Pope Urban VIII's nephew, Cardinal Francesco Barberini. Covering over 2800 square feet, the series is one of the grandest monuments of seventeenth century Rome. A close reading of each panel sets the tapestries into a number of overlapping contexts; they indicate the stylistic advances of the high Baroque period, as well the political and social agendas of their patrons. The introductory chapter lays out the context of Urban VIII's Rome. Subsequent chapters reconstruct the history of Cardinal Barberini's private tapestry commissions, and the activity of Giovanni Francesco Romanelli, the supervising designer of the Life of Christ. The contemporary usage and display of the tapestries is discussed, as is the transfer of the series to the United States and its subsequent display in New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The final chapter is dedicated to technical aspects of the panels, recounting their recent conservation. 00Exhibition: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, USA (21.03.- 25.06.2017) / Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Oregon, USA (23.09.2017 - 21.01.2018).

Papers presented at the symposium held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Oct. 20-21, 2007, in conjunction with the exhibition "Tapestry in the Baroque: Threads of Splendor" held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Oct. 17, 2007-Jan. 6, 2008.