The Crossing of the Granicus, from The Story of Alexander the Great

Textiles

1619

After a design by, and woven at the workshop of, Karel van Mander the Younger (1579–1623)
Holland, Delft

This tapestry dramatizes a battle fought in 334 B.C. between the Macedonians and the Persians. Alexander the great, king of the Macedonians, is depicted just left of center; dressed in ornate gilt armor, he rides a white horse and raises a sword boldly above his head. Facing him is a Persian general on a dark horse with both hands grasped around an axe. Although Alexander appears imperiled, he was ultimately victorious in the battle. the tense moment represented here provided a compelling narrative for noble patrons in the 17th century, willing to imagine Alexander’s triumphs as equivalent to their own.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Textiles

Artist: Karel van Mander, II (Designer)
Title: The Crossing of the Granicus, from The Story of Alexander the Great
Place: Holland (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1619
Medium: Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave
Inscriptions: Signed: I KVMANDER·FECIT·AN·1619·
Dimensions: 408 × 419.9 cm (160 5/8 × 165 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of the Antiquarian Society of the Art Institute of Chicago
Reference Number: 1911.439
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/65167/manifest.json

“Flemish Tapestry,” Bulletin of The Art Institute of Chicago vol. 6, no. 2 (Oct 1912): 21 reproduced
Hunter 1914, p. 120, no. 5.
G. L. Hunter, “The Practical Book of Tapestries,” Philadelphia, 1925, 136.
The Antiquarian Society of the Art Institute of Chicago, “The First One Hundred Years,” (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1977), 185, no. 242 (ill.).
Hartkamp-Jonix and Smit 2004, 224, fig. 84.
Koenraad Brosens, ed., Christa C. Mayer Thurman, gen. ed., European Tapestries in the Art Institute of Chicago, exh. cat., [exhibition: “The Divine Art: Four Centuries of European Tapestries in the Art Institute of Chicago”] (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2008) 341-344, cat. 57.

Art Institute of Chicago, The Antiquarian Society of The Art Institute of Chicago: The First One Hundred Years, Apr. 23–May 19, 1977.
Art Institute of Chicago, Regenstein Hall, The Divine Art: Four Centuries of European Tapestry, Nov. 1, 2008–Jan. 4, 2009.
Art Institute of Chicago, The Deering Family Galleries, Gallery 239A, Mar. 17, 2017-Mar. 28, 2018.

Prince Anatoli Demidoff (died 1870), Villa San Donato, Florence, Italy, presumably from 1840; by descent to his nephew Paul Demidoff (1839-1885); sold at auction from Villa San Donato, Florence, 1880, lot 109 (all nine tapestries). Jennie McGraw Fiske (d. 1881), Ithaca, New York, to 1881; presumably by decent to her husband Daniel Willard Fiske (d. 1904) or another relative. Purchased by the Antiquarian Society of the Art Institute of Chicago for $10,000, 1911; given to the Art Institute, 1911.

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The Crossing of the Granicus, from The Story of Alexander the Great

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.