Tapestries with Stories of Amadis of Gaul

The scenes depicted on the tapestries are taken from the chivalric romance Amadis of Gaule, widely read in Europe and the New World in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The work is a tale of knight-errantry and love. It is about the vicissitudes of Amadis and Princess Oriana. One of tapestries represents Amadis rescuing the princess and the other Amadis taking his leave of her.
The tapestries are exquisitely woven, with a fineness which almost suggests the art of the miniature. The figures in the background, usually simplified, are here rendered with such richness in their details as to hint they were entrusted to the most skilful weavers in the workshop of François Spiering (Antwerp, 1549/1551–Delft, 1631). The details of the garments and armour are so clearly defined that we can relate them precisely to theatrical costumes of the same period.