Transcultural Tapestries

St. Trophime in Arles, Southern France, is a magnificent medieval church that served as the Cathedral of the archdiocese of Arles until 1791, when Arles became part of the archdiocese of Aix. Inside the refectory on the north side of the twelfth-century cloisters, visitors can admire a number of seventeenth century tapestries stemming from the ateliers of Felletin and Aubusson (former County of La Marche, now part of the Creuse département). During the seventeenth century, French tapestry-making gained in significance and eventually took over the leading position from Brussels. The ateliers of Aubusson and Felletin were then placed under the supervision of the Royal manufactures of Gobelins and Beauvais (the Marche county had been part of the domains of the French crown since Francis I. seized it in 1527).

"Le combat entre Tancrède et Argant", St. Trophime, Arles; taken by FJM on 27 August 2009

The Provence region was an important market for these ateliers. Notarial deeds indicate the presence of tapestry merchants from Aubusson and Felletin who sold to churches and the local nobility. The tapestries of St. Trophime are arranged around the theme of Jérusalem délivrée ("rescued Jerusalem") and mainly display scenes from the life of Godefroy de Bouillon, who led the first crusade and ruled the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the eleventh century. 

"Godefroy de Bouillon écoutant l'ange Gabriel", St. Trophime, Arles; taken by FJM on 27 August 2009

One tapestry is particularly remarkable as it depicts a Muslim mythical story that became a prominent motif in European iconography and literature. It is the story of Olinde and Sophronie, two young Christian inhabitants of Jerusalem who, as the Crusaders approach the city, are wrongly accused of theft and condemned to death by the Sultan Aladin. Clorinde, a woman horse-rider from Persia who has come to Jerusalem to help defending it against the Christian armies, is convinced of the innocence of the two lovers and persuades the Sultan to pardon them. Aladin allows himself to be persuaded and, being impressed by Clorinde's strong personality, makes her commander of his armies for the fight against the Christians.

Writers and painters who made us of this theme include prominent names such as Jean-François de la Harpe, Louis Sébastien Mercier, Eugène Delacroix, and François Perrier. Yet its depiction on a seventeenth century tapestry that was made for a Church building is particularly astonishing. The artistic use of a story that emphasises the virtue and charity of the Muslim religion reflects a gradual but significant change in the European perception of the Islamic East. The representation of Muslim virtues in European artworks supersedes the confrontational Christian-Islamic relationship of the medieval period, a development that culminates in the European Enlightenment's profound appreciation of the Islamic world (think, for instance, of a particular work by Montesquieu or of Goethe's interest in Persian poetry). The tapestries of St. Trophime bear witness to this history, which, at the present time, seems to have entered a new phase. 

Comments

[FJM]

My first association was Jeanne d'Arc, although admittedly her story differs slightly from the one reported here (rather than saving anyone from the stake, she ends up there herself). But yes, the heroine soldier is a common motif in many mythologies. To what extent it is anthropological would be interesting to find out.

[Benjamin]

Hmmm this female soldier story looks dangerously close to the Amazon Penthesilea's support to the Trojans against the Bruins... err no... the Acheans. Part of the appeal ought to come from there, the comparison between the Trojan War and the Crusades were common as indicated by the legend of the Nine Worthies or the constant references to both episodes in the anti-Turks literature of the time;