_In the second piece_ (_No._ 24) _Scipio is about to land in Africa_. _In the foreground two vessels filled with soldiers. In the background the city of Utica._
_In the third piece_ (_No._ 25) _Hannibal approaches Scipio to sue for peace_. _In the background the opposing armies face each other on either side of a river._
The pieces bear the Brussels city mark and the monogram H.M. (Hubert de Mecht). The cartoons are attributed to Giulio Romano, fifteen of the original small drawings being in the Louvre. There are in all eighteen pieces in this set, and two subsequent sets, the _Triumphs of Scipio_ and the _Fruits of War_, make a total of thirty-five pieces in the complete history, one of the largest sequences ever attempted in tapestry.
[Sidenote: Illustrated: _Hauser y Menet, Los Tapices de la Corona de España_, vol. 2, pl. 93; _Burlington_, 1916, pp. 58-66, in connection with article by George Leland Hunter, _Scipio Tapestries Now in America_.]
The cartoons have been woven a number of times and examples have been included in many famous collections, including that of Francis I. These pieces were so rich in gold that they were burned to obtain the metal during the Revolution.
These three pieces are from one of the earliest weavings, and in perfection of execution and sumptuousness of material far surpass most of the renderings, ranking with the greatest productions of the early Renaissance. The use of the metal is particularly effective, occurring as it does in three techniques, plain weaving, basket weaving, which always gives a heavy richness, and couching.
The borders with the classical allegorical figures under porticos are of a very fine type, following the example set by Raphael in his panels for the _Acts of the Apostles_.
For vividness of illustration, strength and clarity of silhouette, and delicacy and freshness of color this set is nowhere surpassed.
TWO SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF CYRUS: _In the first_ (_No._ 26) _Cyrus captures Astyages_, _his grandfather_. _Soldiers stand about, and in the background the army is assembled._
_In the second_ (_No._ 27) _Thomyris has the head of Cyrus offered as a human sacrifice_. _An attendant is placing the head in a gold basin and soldiers standing about draw back in horror. In the background a battle wages._