[Sidenote:
_Wool, Silk, Gold._
No. 23:
H. 13 _ft._ 5 _in._
W. 15 _ft._ 4 _in._
No. 24:
H. 13 _ft._ 5 _in._
W. 20 _ft._
No. 25:
H. 13 _ft._ 5 _in._
W. 20 _ft._
]
THREE SCENES FROM THE DEEDS OF SCIPIO: _In the first piece_ (_No._ 23)
_Scipio enthroned offers the mural crown to Caius Laelius_. _Roman army
officers stand about. In the background the army is assembled._
_In the second piece_ (_No._ 24) _Scipio is about to land in Africa_. _In
the foreground two vessels filled with soldiers. In the background the
city of Utica._
_In the third piece_ (_No._ 25) _Hannibal approaches Scipio to sue for
peace_. _In the background the opposing armies face each other on either
side of a river._
The pieces bear the Brussels city mark and the monogram H.M. (Hubert de
Mecht). The cartoons are attributed to Giulio Romano, fifteen of the
original small drawings being in the Louvre. There are in all eighteen
pieces in this set, and two subsequent sets, the _Triumphs of Scipio_ and
the _Fruits of War_, make a total of thirty-five pieces in the complete
history, one of the largest sequences ever attempted in tapestry.
[Sidenote: Illustrated: _Hauser y Menet, Los Tapices de la Corona de
España_, vol. 2, pl. 93; _Burlington_, 1916, pp. 58-66, in connection with
article by George Leland Hunter, _Scipio Tapestries Now in America_.]
The cartoons have been woven a number of times and examples have been
included in many famous collections, including that of Francis I. These
pieces were so rich in gold that they were burned to obtain the metal
during the Revolution.
These three pieces are from one of the earliest weavings, and in
perfection of execution and sumptuousness of material far surpass most
of the renderings, ranking with the greatest productions of the early
Renaissance. The use of the metal is particularly effective, occurring as
it does in three techniques, plain weaving, basket weaving, which always
gives a heavy richness, and couching.
The borders with the classical allegorical figures under porticos are of a
very fine type, following the example set by Raphael in his panels for the
_Acts of the Apostles_.
[Sidenote: Lent by _Duveen Brothers_.]
For vividness of illustration, strength and clarity of silhouette, and
delicacy and freshness of color this set is nowhere surpassed.
[Illustration:
_The Triumph of David_ No. 21
]
[Illustration:
_Two Pairs of Lovers_ No. 22
]
[Sidenote: 26, 27]