The Burgos Tapestry: Medieval Theatre and Visual Experience

Masthead Logo The Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal Volume 1 | Issue 1 Article 1 December 2013 The Burgos Tapestry: Medieval Theatre and Visual Experience Nathalie Rochel FRCH '11 Fordham University, Follow this and additional works at: https://fordham.bepress.com/furj Part of the Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Art and Design Commons, Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, Fine Arts Commons, and the Medieval Studies Commons Recommended Citation Rochel, Nathalie FRCH '11 (2013) "The Burgos Tapestry: Medieval Theatre and Visual Experience," The Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 1. Available at: https://fordham.bepress.com/furj/vol1/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalResearch@Fordham. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal by an authorized editor of DigitalResearch@Fordham. For more information, please contact . The Burgos Tapestry: Medieval Theatre and Visual Experience Cover Page Footnote Nathalie Rochel, FCRH 2011, is from East Brunswick, New Jersey. She is an art history and English major. She currently interns at The Cloisters, a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. After graduation she will be learning German and plans on going to graduate school to study Medieval art. This article is available in The Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal: https://fordham.bepress.com/furj/vol1/iss1/1 FURJ | Volume 1 | Spring 2011 Res earch Rochel: The Burgos Tapestry www.fordham.edu/fcrh/furj The Burgos Tapestry: Medieval Theatre and Visual Experience Nathalie Rochel, FCRH ’11 ART HISTORY In the field of art history, the medium of tapestry has only recently begun to gain attention as its own significant art form. This paper examines the possible relationship between the Burgos Tapestry, recently on view at The Cloisters after a thirty-year conservation, and medieval theatre. The compositional and stylistic forms of the tapestry may have been influenced by productions of medieval mystery plays, which through analysis can help provide a greater understanding of the medieval cultural mindset, the possible artistic decisions behind maintaining medieval pictorial traditions into the early sixteenth century, and the medieval viewer’s experience when looking at a tapestry demonstrating those traditions. Looking at the tapestry in consideration of other aspects of medieval culture helps to re-examine the dismissal of medieval pictorial tradition as simply a precursor to Renaissance naturalism. One of the great surviving figurative tapestry sets from the Late Gothic period of tapestry is The Redemption of Man series, believed to consist of ten compositions.1 Many duplicates have been made of the tapestries in the series, but the tapestry at The Cloisters, known as The Nativity or Christ is Born as Man’s Redeemer, is distinctive in that it is the only existing composition from the group to have no duplicates (Fig. 1).2 The tapestry is twenty-seven feet long by thirteen feet high, its approximate date is between 1500 and 1520, and it is identified as South Netherlandish.3 Any artists associated with the tapestry, as well as the reasons for its manufacture and how it got into the possession of Bishop Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca of the Burgos Cathedral in Spain, are currently unknown. This lack of information contributes to the appeal and mystery of the tapestry, which is enhanced by its complex subject matter regarding the Fall and Salvation of Man. Many scholars have connected the subject matter to themes seen in popular mystery and morality plays of the time period.4 An analysis of The Nativity in relation to medieval productions of mystery plays suggests that the compositional and stylistic forms of the tapestry may have been directly influenced by the experience of these productions. Considering the influence of the theatrical aspect of medieval culture on tapestry production can also help us to understand the viewing experience of the tapestry within the larger cultural mindset of the time. The medium of tapestry has suffered from its location outside of the three main art forms most commonly praised and studied in art history, namely painting, sculpture, and architecture.5 Scholars such as Thomas Campbell and Laura Weigert have noted common problems of various approaches in the field. Tapestry study is limited by poor documentation on the complex contributions of the makers of a tapestry and a lack of surviving works in excellent condition.6 The Nativity is one such case where suggested approaches like patronage study or an analysis of the specifics of the tapestry’s production and use cannot be pursued due to a lack of information.7 Instead, an analysis of the tapestry would benefit from a discussion related to its compositional style, another subject of issue within tapestry study. In general, tapestries are often organized into a linear progression of style that advances from the flatness of medieval tapestries to the Renaissance creations of naturalistic space in later examples.8 The Nativity is one of the types of tapestries that defies this narrative; it is an example that is labeled medieval by the Metropolitan Museum of Art but that dates very late in the period, to the early sixteenth century, when some tapestries are considered to belong to the Renaissance. It is evident that there must be more to the elements of style seen in The Nativity, since they have persisted from the early Middle Ages and may indicate a conscious decision on the part of the artist to continue using the style when other artists were beginning to I would like to thank Dr. Nina Rowe for her invaluable guidance regarding this paper throughout the past semester. I would also like to thank The Cloisters for the use of their library. Direct all correspondence to Nathalie Rochel at . 129 Published by DigitalResearch@Fordham, 2011 1 the Virtues and Vices. Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection ultimately save Man and Nature and the Vices are defeated.11 The Nativity presents the midpoint, possibly even the climax, of the story in the birth of the Redeemer who will bring about the salvation of mankind. The narrative begins in the upper left corner of The Nativity but does not read from left to right, as it is ART HISTORY use naturalistic depictions of space. Michael Baxandall, in his chapter “The Period Eye,” introduces the concept of visuality, which defines viewing and comprehension as varying from culture to culture.9 Relating this notion to The Nativity, the pictorial organization of the tapestry can be understood both through an attempt to understand the medieval experience of viewing as well as looking at how the experiences of the culture may have informed the artwork. 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