Tapestry with Armorial Bearings and Badges of John, Lord Dynham

Tapestry with Armorial Bearings and Badges of John, Lord Dynham

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

John, Lord Dynham was a naval commander under five kings and treasurer of England from 1486 to 1501. The inscription around the garter is the motto of the Order of the Garter, to which Lord Dynham was appointed in 1487. The tapestry was probably woven to commemorate this event. The supporters in the form of stags -- or harts -- refer to Lord Dynham's family seat, Hartland. The repeated device of the topcastle of a warship with javelins leaning against the railing and swallow-tailed pennants flying above refers to Lord Dynham's distinguished naval career.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tapestry with Armorial Bearings and Badges of John, Lord DynhamTapestry with Armorial Bearings and Badges of John, Lord DynhamTapestry with Armorial Bearings and Badges of John, Lord DynhamTapestry with Armorial Bearings and Badges of John, Lord DynhamTapestry with Armorial Bearings and Badges of John, Lord Dynham

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.