Panel

Art Historical Context

This exquisite embroidered panel, created around 1600 in Zurich, Switzerland, offers a glimpse into the refined domestic artistry of early modern Europe. Produced during the Renaissance era in a Protestant stronghold, such textiles adorned bourgeois, showcasing the owner's wealth and skill. Zurich's textile traditions, rooted in fine linen and embroidery workshops, flourished here, blending functionality with elaborate decoration. Crafted from wool, silk, and metal threads on a flannel ground, the panel measures 23 by 20½ inches, making it a portable yet luxurious wall hanging or garment panel. The intricate stitching depicts lively scenes of animals, men, women, and flowers, capturing a harmonious blend of nature and human life. Silk provided vibrant hues and sheen, while metal threads added opulent highlights, techniques that highlighted the embroiderer's mastery and the era's love for mixed-media luxury. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art thanks to a 1964 gift from Irwin Untermyer, this anonymous work exemplifies Swiss decorative arts' enduring appeal—bridging everyday motifs with technical brilliance. Visitors will appreciate its tactile richness, evoking the warmth of a 17th-century Zurich parlor.