An imaginary jungle scene
immortalized in thread
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A beleaguered lowland tapir is the centerpiece of this large tapestry (approximately 6 by 8 feet or even larger), created - as far as I know - sometime during the 1700s. I'm in the process of doing research to find out more about this incredible work of art and its history.
I was fortunate in the late 1960s or early 1970s to have the chance to see and photograph this piece in a private collection in California. At the time, it was on loan from the owner and housed in a conference room at a graduate school. The person who allowed me to take the pictures didn't know much about the tapestry, and if I took any notes at the time, I don't have them now. I remember that it came from one of the famous establishments in Europe - very possibly the Gobelin Factory in France - but don't quote me till I find out for sure! If anyone knows something about tapestries from this period, please write me.
One of the remarkable features is the "roll top" proboscis of the tapir. The artist probably had more familiarity with elephants, or else had attempted to figure out just how a nose like this could be flexible. The foot structure resembles that of a deer more than a tapir, but the artist was informed about the number of toes (hooves) - at least on the front feet (4).
In this scene, a jaguar attacks the tapir. From what I have read, while most large cats usually attack the throat of their prey, the jaguar usually attacks at the back of the neck, and it may be that this species of tapir evolved the tall crest as protection from jaguars. If I'm wrong here, I hope someone will correct me.
A note on the images: After looking at a number of tapestries on the Web, I realize I have nothing to apologize for in the way these came out. That aside, I do plan to replace them when I can with even better images. For one thing, the original slides show a bit more on the edges, including the snout of the tusked animal on the right. In addition, in my slide of the tapir's head, you can actually see the stitches in the fabric, and I'd like to find a way to reproduce that more clearly.