The Poet with His Epilogue (from The Hunt of the Frail Stag)

Art Historical Context

Step into the opulent world of late medieval Europe with *The Poet with His Epilogue*, a captivating panel from the tapestry series *The Hunt of the Frail Stag*. Woven around 1495–1510 by an unknown South Netherlandish artist, this textile depicts a poet in a moment of reflection or recitation, surrounded by heraldic motifs like coats of arms—symbols of nobility and lineage. Produced in the renowned weaving centers of the Southern Netherlands, such as Brussels or Tournai, these tapestries brought chivalric tales and courtly literature to life in grand halls, serving as both decoration and insulation against drafty castles. Crafted with a wool warp and vibrant wool-and-silk wefts, the piece showcases the meticulous haute lisse technique, where silk threads added shimmering highlights to faces, fabrics, and emblems for dramatic effect. South Netherlandish tapestries were the luxury exports of their era, commissioned by elites to narrate epic hunts, romances, and moral allegories. This work, classified in the Medieval Art department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, exemplifies the transition from Gothic narrative richness to emerging Renaissance humanism. Bequeathed in 1965 in memory of Arthur Lehman, *The Poet with His Epilogue* invites us to ponder the interplay of poetry and power in 15th-century courts, where art wove stories as enduring as the threads themselves. (198 words)