Procession of the Fat Ox from a Teniers Series

Description

This tapestry depicts peasants and townspeople leading an ox to be butchered for a feast in celebration of Shrove Tuesday (also known as Fat Tuesday), the last day before the start of Lent. A barmaid distributes refreshments outside a tavern named the Sign of the Cross, musicians lead the procession, and people skate and sled on the frozen ice, giving the scene a general atmosphere of revelry and mirth. Genre scenes of rural life were a popular theme for tapestries in 18th-century Europe, emphasizing the rustic charm of country living.

Provenance

William Collins Whitney (died 1904), New York; possibly given to his son, Harry Payne Whitney (died1930), New York, by 1904, or sold (with the rest of William Collins Whitney’s estate) to James Henry Smith (died 1907), New York, 1904, and sold to Harry Payne Whitney, 1910; by descent to Harry Payne Whitney’s widow, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (died 1942), New York; sold, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, Apr. 29-30, 1942, lot 143, for $1,300 to Charles Zadok (died 1984), Milwaukee; given to the Art Institute, 1950.

Procession of the Fat Ox from a Teniers Series

David Teniers

1729-1768

Accession Number

73269

Medium

Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave Warp: Count: 6 warps per cm; wool: S-ply of three Z-spun elements; diameter: 0.8 mm Weft: Count: varies from 22 to 48 wefts per cm; wool: S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.5–0.8 mm; silk: pairs of S-ply of two Z-twisted elements; diameters: 0.3–0.8 mm; wool and silk: three yarns, one yarn of S-ply of two Z-spun wool elements and two yarns of S-ply of two Z-twisted silk elements; diameters: 0.6–0.9 mm

Dimensions

389 × 336.6 cm (153 1/8 × 132 1/2 in.)

Classification

weaving - tapestry

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Charles Zadok

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