The drawing in these tapestries is rather unusually primitive for pieces of this period, but the figures have a broad monumental character and a direct sincerity of bearing that make them very convincing.
FLANDERS, PROBABLY BRUSSELS, BEGINNING XVI CENTURY
No. 17: H. 11 _ft._ 10 _in._ W. 17 _ft._ 6 _in._
No. 18: H. 11 _ft._ 7 _in._ W. 7 _ft._ 5 _in._
THREE PIECES FROM A SERIES ILLUSTRATING THE CREED: _In the first piece_ (_No._ 17) _four scenes from the Life of Christ are portrayed: the Adoration of the Kings_, _the Presentation at the Temple_, _the meeting of Christ and John_, _and Christ among the Doctors_. _In the corner sits a prophet, probably David. The piece undoubtedly began with the Nativity, at the left, and possibly the Annunciation, with the Apostle Andrew in the other corner. This would indicate that the piece was the second in the series, the first probably having been the Creation of the Earth, with Peter and Jeremiah._
_The second piece_ (_No._ 18) _shows the Circumcision and the Assumption of the Virgin_, _and evidently included at least one more scene at the right_.
[Sidenote: _The Last Judgment_ was formerly in the Evora Palace, Portugal, and is illustrated from the Louvre example in _Migeon, Les Arts de Tissu_, p. 220; in part, in _E. Mâle, L'Art religieux de la fin du Moyen Age en France_, p. 501; _Burlington_, vol. 20, p. 9; _Figaro Illustré_, 1911.]
_The third piece_ (_No._ 19) _shows the full scene of the Last Judgment with a personage who seems to be Philip in one corner and in the other Zephaniah_. _The piece is complete except, possibly, for a border. A tapestry from the same cartoon with a narrow border of flowers is in the Louvre. Christ, enthroned, is surrounded by the Virgin, Saint John, and the eleven Apostles. Angels, bearing instruments of the Passion and sounding trumpets flutter through the sky. At the right of the throne angels come bearing crowns for the elect. Below the dead are rising from the graves. Before the throne of Christ Justice bearing a sword and Pity bearing a lily come to punish the Seven Deadly Sins, Pride, Avarice, Luxury, Greed, Anger, Envy, and Laziness, an episode adopted from the Mystery Plays. On the border of the robe of the Virgin appear the letters WOL and on the border of the robe of the last Apostle at Christ's left the letters RIM DACI BAPTISTA ORADI._