PETS OF ANCIENT COURTS IN MY NEW TAPESTRY

I have recently finished a new painting, which will be shown in the “Young Gentlemen’s Room” in Turku Castle (Finland) from the 16^th of June 2016. The motif of the painting brings together two things which existed in the castle during the 16^th century: pets and tapestries.

 

My “tapestry” is actually acrylic and ink painting on old plush carpets, sewn one on another, 160 x 220 cm. Thepets described in it, were kept in European courts during medieval and renaissance times, and even earlier.   

          Dogs have been the best friends of humans for more than 10000 years.  In medieval times already, the small dogs were bred for companions of the ladies and their children. Elisabeth I and Mary Stuart were both very keen on miniature dogs. Mary Stuart had her dogs dressed in velvet. Elisabeth I favored “pocket beagles”, which were only 20-30 cm high. 

           Ring-necked (or rose-ringed) parakeets were popular already among the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is told that Alexander the Great enjoyed having them as pets. 

           Exotic animals like guenons (Cercopithecus) were rare pets. However, Duchess  of Finland, later the Queen Consort of Sweden Catherine Jagiellon  (Katarina Jagellonica) brought among many other luxury items a pet guenon to Turku Castle in 1562.