The Abduction of the Sabine Women

In the foreground of this tall and narrow tapestry, a Roman soldier is shown seizing a Sabine woman. In front of his garment, at the far left edge, part of a leg intrudes into the picture, indicating the fragmentary state of the tapestry. In the middle ground, another Sabine woman appears, pursued by a Roman man. In the background, a group of soldiers can be seen among trees with intertwined trunks. The scene was probably part of a larger composition. The image is composed of a limited and subdued palette, with yellow predominating. The tripartite border is widest in the floral and fruit garland; this is enclosed by a narrow frame of twisted ribbon interspersed with rosettes. Along the inner edge, adjoining the pictorial field, runs a prominent narrow black stripe.

Provenance

Ipolyi Arnold gyűjteménye, Lakatos-Balla 209, 275.

Bibliography

• Dutka Mária: Az esztergomi Keresztény Múzeum gobelinjei. Budapest, 1936., 47-50, 7. kép - Magyarország műemléki topográfiája I. Esztergom 1. Esztergom műemlékei (összeállította: Genthon István; Budapest 1948), 192. old., 206. kép; - László Emőke: Flamand és francia kárpitok Magyarországon. Corvina. Budapest, 1980, 48., 78. old., 47. kép.