Currently in the Museum Shop

Aubusson Tapestry: "The Stag at Bay"

This Robert Four tapestry reproduces a segment of "The Stag at Bay" from the Netherlands.
The original dates back to the late 15th century, and it now resides at the Met Museum.
This copy, however, you can see at Lacis Museum, hanging above our shop floor!

The Aubusson tapestry-weaving tradition has continued almost unbroken since the 1300s, when its small weaving industry was first established. There was a hiatus in the 1700 and 1800s, but its 20th-century revival peaked in about 1911.
    The piece you'll see here at Lacis Museum dates from after the 1950s, but the methods used in its manufacture are extremely close to those of the artisans centuries ago. In fact, in 2019, Aubusson tapestries were declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

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Shown here is the entirety of "The Stag at Bay" at the Met Museum. It's part of a series — southern Netherlandish in origin — called "Incidents in a Stag Hunt".

While the sequence includes Following the Stag's Trail, Rewarding the Hounds, A Hunting Party Leaving the Castle, Preparing to Undo the Stag in the Field, and A Hunter Returning to the Castle, all these pieces are much smaller. "Stag at Bay" seems to be not only the height of the drama, but the decorative focal point.

You may remember our Textile Trivia piece on the Unicorn Tapestries back in April 2022 — but if you don't, and happen to find yourself falling in love with tapestries, we recommend checking it out.