Page:Textile fabrics; a descriptive catalogue of the collection of church-vestments, dresses, silk stuffs, needle-work and tapestries, forming that section of the Museum (IA textilefabricsde00soutrich).pdf/550

 1465.

Piece of Tapestry Hanging; ground, grass and flowers; design, a German romance, divided into six compartments, each having its own inscribed scrolls, meant to describe the subject. South German, middle of the 15th century. 12 feet by 2 feet 6 inches.

In the first compartment we see a group of horsemen, of whom the first is a royal youth wearing a richly-jewelled crown and arrayed in all the fashion of those days. Following him are two grooms, over one of whose heads, but high up in the heavens, flies an eagle; and perhaps the bird may be there to indicate the name of the large walled city close by. Pacing on the flowery turf, the cavalcade is nearing a castle, at the threshold of which stand an aged king and his youthful daughter. On a scroll are the words,—"Bisg god wilkum dusig stunt(?) grosser frayd wart uns nie kunt;" "Be right welcome for a thousand hours; a greater joy we never knew." Of course the coming guest utters his acknowledgments; but the words on the scroll cannot be made out with the exception of this broken sentence,—"Heute ich unt ;" "To day I and "

In the second compartment, in a room of the castle we behold the same royal youth, wearing, as before, his crown upon his long yellow locks, along with his three varlets. On a scroll are the words,—"Fromer dieur bestelle mir die ros ein wagge ist nun lieber;" "Pious servant, order me the horses, a carriage is preferred."

In the third compartment is shown, and very likely in his own home, the same young wooer talking, as it would seem by the scrolls, to his three waiting-men; and after one of them had said,—"Wage un̄ rosz sint bereit als;" "Carriage and horses are ready as" he says,—"Wo schien gluck zu diser vart nie kein reise;" "If luck has shone on this journey, I never liked travelling better." Of the three servants, one holds three horses, while the upper groom is presenting, with both hands, to his royal young master a large something, apparently ornamented with flowers; the churl wears, hanging down from his girdle in front, an anelace or dagger, the gentleman a gay gipcière, but the shoes of both are very long and pointed.

In the fourth compartment the same crowned youth again is seen riding towards the castle-gate, though this time no lady fair stands at its