The Twelve Ages of a Man: The Second Three Ages (18-36), or Autumn

The Twelve Ages of a Man: The Second Three Ages (18-36), or Autumn

Bernard van Orley

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This is the third in a set of four tapestries illustrating the life of a man as divided into twelve periods of six years. Bacchus, in the center, stands for the autumn of life; the symbols and occupations of three months, July, August, and September, represent the years from ages 36 to 54. The stories show the centaur Chiron sharing his knowledge by teaching medicine to the young Aesculapius; Joseph directing the gathering of the harvest in anticipation of the lean years to come; and Hercules gathering the golden apples of the Hesperides, the last of his twelve labors.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Twelve Ages of a Man: The Second Three Ages (18-36), or AutumnThe Twelve Ages of a Man: The Second Three Ages (18-36), or AutumnThe Twelve Ages of a Man: The Second Three Ages (18-36), or AutumnThe Twelve Ages of a Man: The Second Three Ages (18-36), or AutumnThe Twelve Ages of a Man: The Second Three Ages (18-36), or Autumn

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.