Offering to the Unknown God
AUTHOR
Jan Frans Cornelissen (workshop) from a card by Abraham van Diepenbeeck (1596-1675)
PLACE/DATE
Belgium, Antwerp, 1662-1678
MATERIALS
Polychrome silk threads, gilt and silver metallic threads
DIMENSIONS
388 x 527,5 cm
INV
MT.228
The scene represented in this tapestry harks back to the theme of Augustus (63 BC-14 AD), the first emperor of Rome, worshipping the Unknown God.
In the centre, we can see the figure of this general wearing the boots of a Roman officer, the purple cloak hanging over his shoulder and the laurel wreath, as he lays a laurel branch on the altar where the sacred fire is burning. In front of him, a priest holds the sacred plate and jar intended for libations, a ritual that consisted of pouring a liquid on an altar as an offering to a god.
A group of priests and their assistants, arranged on the right side, and a procession of figures, which follows the emperor carrying offerings and torches, complete the composition. It is bordered by cornucopias with flowers and fruits, allegorical figures, trophies and inscriptions alluding to Rome and Augustus.
