King Arthur has captured the public’s imagination for centuries. Drawing on Welsh poetry and folktales from the late A.D. 500s to early 600s, cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the first major medieval historical account of Arthur in his “History of the Kings of Britain.”
‘Nine Heroes Tapestries’
The Met Cloisters, known globally for its famous “Unicorn Tapestries” series, houses another medieval textile cycle that also exemplifies the artistic pinnacle of this medium. The “Nine Heroes Tapestries” is one of the oldest surviving tapestry works that dates to the Middle Ages, and it features a stunning depiction of King Arthur as one of the heroes.This artwork was made in the first years of the 15th century and was woven of wool in the South Netherlands, modern-day Belgium. At the time of creation, it would have served a dual purpose: providing a decorative aesthetic as well as a means of interior insulation for the colder months.
Scholars have suggested it may have been part of the collection of Jean, Duke of Berry (1340–1416), one of the most important art patrons of the Middle Ages and the son of John II, King of France. However, conclusive proof of the original commissioner remains elusive.
The Nine Heroes theme is an amalgamation of figures from antiquity as well as religious subjects that first appeared around 1312 in the manuscript “The Vows of the Peacock,” by the French poet Jacques de Longuyon. This literary idea of nine men that symbolize and inspire chivalry, valor, and wisdom became a popular motif for artworks created in late medieval Europe.
Also referred to as “Nine Worthies,” this cycle of tapestries is a mix of legendary and historic figures drawn from classical (Hector of Troy, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar); Jewish (Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus), and Christian (King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon) traditions.
The “Nine Heroes Tapestries” was originally composed of three large horizonal hangings that each featured a trio of protagonists. Given the inherent fragility of the material, only five hero sequences have survived, including that of “King Arthur.” The mythic royal is identifiable by the coat of arms he wears, three crowns against a blue background.
In the tapestry, King Arthur sits enthroned underneath a vaulted space. He is surrounded by bishops and cardinals beneath smaller canopies. These Gothic architectural elements, which also include crenellation and tracery windows, were employed to give the allusion of spatial depth as well as to frame individuals.
At some point in the 500-year history of the “Nine Heroes Tapestries,” the work was cut into pieces. In the early 20th century, the surviving parts were patched together to make curtains for a French noble family’s castle. The tapestry series was acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the 1930s and 1940s, and by then it was in a total of 94 fragments.
It fell to museum curators to figure out how the tapestry parts should be reconstructed. A team of four highly skilled needlewomen carried out this process by cutting, reassembling, piercing, and relining this important artwork. The “King Arthur” tapestry had not been touched by The Met since these restoration efforts concluded in 1949.
In “King Arthur,” the woven Arthur is depicted as a Christian ruler, although the original tales were secular; this is why he is shown in the tapestry surrounded by clergymen. As explained by Peter Barnet and Nancy Wu in their book “The Cloisters: Medieval Art and Architecture,” these secondary figures “are comparable to similarly marginalized and equally elusive figures often found in … manuscript paintings.”
Arthurian Manuscripts
Manuscripts about King Arthur, prized in the time of their creation, remain highly valued today. In 2010, “The Rochefoucauld Grail,” an illuminated manuscript containing images made with precious metals, surpassed its high estimate to sell for 2.4 million pounds at Sotheby’s. This work, from the first part of the 14th century, is considered to be the oldest comprehensive account about the King Arthur legends that survives.
In a recent academic literary study that utilized scientific statistical models, researchers concluded that over 90 percent of medieval manuscripts of chivalry and heroism have been lost over the centuries. This makes surviving manuscripts all the more miraculous.
Looking to continental Europe, a German codex from 1372 features exquisite Arthurian images. This book, owned by the University of Leiden, details a specific romance tale and is the oldest illustrated version of its kind. It has half-page and full-page manuscript paintings in vibrant colors with fairy-tale like imagery. Art historians believe that the stylistic composition of the images was influenced by medieval tapestries.
Tales of King Arthur have had staying power despite the changing popular taste, and they continue to be a cultural touchstone. Raluca Radulescu, a professor of medieval literature at Bangor University, suggests their timeless appeal is because they embody “a standard of moral integrity” that is hard to find in the real world. Examining medieval tapestry and manuscripts vividly supports Arthur’s chivalric, mythic image.