Woodcutters Working at a Deer Park (from the Hunting Parks Tapestries)

Woodcutters Working at a Deer Park (from the Hunting Parks Tapestries)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this tapestry, one from a set of four, woodsmen work in and around a hunting park filled with deer. Inside the enclosure, one woodsman stands upon a tree trunk, splitting it with a wedge and mallet. Deer nestle nearby, oblivious to his presence. Outside, near the gate, another woodsman prunes a branch while three noble figures hover nearby. The fine garments and jeweled accessories of the nobles distinguish them from the workers. The couple on the left gesture as if in conversation, their relaxed stroll another indication of their status. Produced for aristocratic homes, such tapestries depict a world of privilege.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Woodcutters Working at a Deer Park (from the Hunting Parks Tapestries)Woodcutters Working at a Deer Park (from the Hunting Parks Tapestries)Woodcutters Working at a Deer Park (from the Hunting Parks Tapestries)Woodcutters Working at a Deer Park (from the Hunting Parks Tapestries)Woodcutters Working at a Deer Park (from the Hunting Parks Tapestries)

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.