Author Archives: Rodney Hakim

About Rodney Hakim

Persian Gallery New York is the leading source for antique decorative carpets, classic oriental rugs, vintage pillows and textiles, and period European tapestries. Wholesalers to the area rug trade and the interior design and decor community, PGNY has one of the biggest and best collections of antique rugs and tapestries anywhere in the world, and in excellent condition. Visit www.pgny.com to find the perfect rugs, carpets, tapestries, pillows, and textiles for your decorating needs!

Happy Spring Holidays from Persian Gallery New York!

From all of us here at Persian Gallery New York, the leading source for antique decorative carpets, classic oriental rugs, and period European tapestries, we wish you all happy Spring and happy holidays!

Last weekend saw the arrival of Spring, which coincided with the Persian holiday of Nowruz, or the Persian New Year.

HappyNowruz2016

This week, we have Purim, Good Friday, and Easter.  All of these major Spring holidays have fallen within the same one week period, and we wish all of our clients, colleagues, friends and families happy holidays!  Whichever faith you subscribe to, and whatever you celebrate, the PGNY team wishes you all peace, happiness, and health, and a joyous celebration of the holidays!

If you are shopping for antique Persian rugs for Nowruz, Biblical themed tapestries for Purim, or New Testament wall hangings for Easter, you can find them all here via the Search function at www.pgny.com/search.  View our offerings here on PGNY.com, and any new buyers who purchase their first regular price items listed on our site are eligible for a 20% discount, as recently seen on our social media feeds!

PGNY20-percent-off-discount-sale-icon

Check out our social media feeds on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Google+ for special discount offers like this, and for links to our Featured Items of the Day!

twitter  PGNY on Twitterwww.twitter.com/persiangallery

instagram  PGNY on Instagramhttps://instagram.com/pgny_antique_carpetrugtapestry/

facebook  PGNY on Facebookwww.facebook.com/persiangalleryny

google-plus  PGNY on Google+https://plus.google.com/+PersianGallery/posts/p/pub

pinterest  PGNY on Pinteresthttps://www.pinterest.com/pgny/

Also, for an amazing group of antique carpets and tapestries, as well as vintage pillows, all available at unbelievable discounted prices, with online shopping carts for immediate purchase, check out the PGNY shops at 1st Dibs, Houzz, and Etsy!

1stdibs-logo-164x45_r-220x146  PGNY on 1st Dibs

houzz  PGNY on Houzzhttp://www.houzz.com/pro/pgny/__public

etsy  PGNY on Etsyhttps://www.etsy.com/shop/PersianGalleryNYC

Happy holidays again, and happy shopping! Contact us with all your requests for vintage and antique rugs, carpets, pillows and tapestries at info@pgny.com, or by phone at (212) 683-2699.  Eid Nowruz Mobarak!  Chag Purim Sameach!  Happy Easter!

 

Persian Gallery New York is now on Pinterest, Etsy, and Houzz!

Persian Gallery New York, the premier source in New York City and across the U.S. for antique decorative carpets, classic oriental rugs, vintage pillows, and period European tapestries, is proud to announce that PGNY is now on Pinterest, Etsy, and Houzz!

Pinterest is a hugely popular site for saving and sharing images from across the web.  Persian Gallery has now made its industry-leading inventory of antique tapestries and decorative Persian rugs available on Pinterest, with over 4,000 images represented in different home decor categories.  Visit PGNY on Pinterest today, and start pinning and sharing images of the world’s finest vintage and antique carpets and textiles!

pinterest  PGNY on Pinteresthttps://www.pinterest.com/pgny/

Etsy is a site that allows buyers and sellers of hand-made and/or vintage goods to connect with each other, with a wide variety of rugs, textiles, and pillows being sold throughout the site.  Persian Gallery has listed an eclectic group of previously unseen vintage pillows for sale on Etsy, with many more to come soon.  Visit PGNY on Etsy for some amazing deals on these unique finds!

etsy  PGNY on Etsyhttps://www.etsy.com/shop/PersianGalleryNYC

Houzz is another incredibly popular site in which buyers and designers can both collect images for their home decor and interior design and decoration projects, and also buy directly from vetted vendors.  Persian Gallery has made several items available for sale on Houzz, with much more on the way in the coming weeks.  Visit PGNY on Houzz to see these incredible deals on rare rugs, runners, tapestries and pillows today!

houzz  PGNY on Houzzhttp://www.houzz.com/pro/pgny/__public

Additionally, Persian Gallery New York is continually adding its antique rugs, tapestries, pillows, and textiles for sale on 1st Dibs, which is one of the most esteemed sites for purchases of high-end vintage and antique goods.  Visit PGNY on 1st Dibs today for the best of the best antique Persian and Turkish rugs, vintage Chinese rugs, and fine French and Flemish wall hangings!

1stdibs-logo-164x45_r-220x146  PGNY on 1st Dibs 

Connect with Persian Gallery on social media to stay apprised of additions to all of these websites, as well as for featured items and special discount offers not available anywhere else!

twitter  PGNY on Twitterwww.twitter.com/persiangallery

instagram  PGNY on Instagramhttps://instagram.com/pgny_antique_carpetrugtapestry/

facebook  PGNY on Facebookwww.facebook.com/persiangalleryny

google-plus  PGNY on Google+https://plus.google.com/+PersianGallery/posts/p/pub

You can also visit our Links page for a list of links to many other sites where PGNY is active across the web!

cropped-PGNY-Logo-1000.png  PGNY Links Pagehttp://www.pgny.com/links

Contact PGNY by social media, by e-mail at info@pgny.com, or by phone at (212) 683-2699 with all your rug and tapestry needs!

Are Antique Rugs and Tapestries a Thing of the Past?

The antique rug and tapestry trade has always had a special place in the heart of buyers who appreciate the artistry and skill required to hand-weave these amazing pieces.  Interior designers have traditionally started the design of any given living or dining room with the centerpiece that ties everything together, the oriental rug, and have based their other color and design choices on the antique carpet‘s colors and motifs.

Over the last two decades, the antique rug trade has gained quite a bit of competition from new rugs, with some new rugs being reproductions of antique rug designs, others veering away from traditional colors and motifs and embracing a modern and contemporary look, and yet others being custom made to the buyer’s specifications.  New rugs have become so plentiful and so omnipresent, that for many buyers, they have supplanted the antique rug as the floor covering of choice, both because of their relatively lower price points and their vast flexibility in size, color, and design.

With the growing popularity of new rugs, have antique rugs and tapestries become a thing of the past?  Is the antique rug industry slowly vanishing into irrelevance, with the new rug industry taking its place?

While competition with new rugs can be intense, the antique rug industry is still going strong, and we still see a lot of life left in these century old floor coverings and wall hangings.

For a certain set of buyers, new rugs, while plentiful and relatively inexpensive, will never match the artistry or mastery of their antique hand-knotted ancestors.  Hand-made antique rugs have a certain cache, a certain prestige, and a certain patina of age and authenticity that can never be fully replicated or replaced with a new rug.  They retain their value, unlike new rugs, and are a traditional investment that holds up with time.  The people who have grown up with antique rugs and tapestries in their households generally have an added appreciation for this most tactile and interactive of art forms, and want to carry on the tradition of owning an antique rug, and passing it on to the next generation.

In recent years, we have been fortunate to be able to connect with many more such buyers who appreciate antique rugs, and find them across the U.S. and internationally, thanks in part to our presence on the internet, and our offerings on various selling platforms, including 1st Dibs, One Kings Lane, and Houzz.  The immediacy of the internet, mobile phones, and online sales has made the world a much smaller place, so to speak, with people able to find products they are passionate about with just a few clicks.

In addition to online connectivity, we are seeing a return of traditional oriental rug designs to every day popularity, with them appearing in fashion, clothing designs, fabrics, and furnitureWhat’s old is new again, and it looks like antique carpet colors and motifs are on the next fashion cycle back into the mainstream.  We at Persian Gallery New York are happy to provide the best selection of antique decorative carpets and classic oriental rugs to meet the rising demand!

As for antique tapestries, it seems that they, like antique rugs, are also headed back into the mainstream spotlight.  Antique tapestries from the French “Sun King,” Louis XIV are being showcased in Los Angeles now, with this being the first such major show there in nearly forty years:

The Sun King’s Tapestries

With so much renewed interest in antique rugs and tapestries, and the new fashion cycle headed back toward traditional oriental rug colors and motifs, it seems that the forecasts of the antique industry’s demise are quite premature!  If a fine wine gets better with age, then image how much better an antique rug or tapestry will be as it grows with you over the years in your home, and connects your family to its next generation!

It’s the End of the Iran Sanctions Act, and a Great Time to Buy Antique Rugs

This past week, the United States officially ended the Iran Sanctions Act, which was the measure banning trade with Iran, and forbidding the import and export of Iranian goods in and out of the U.S.  This act was part of a series of sanctions put into place over the last few years by the U.S. in an attempt to ratchet up pressure on Iran, so that Iran would comply with nuclear inspections and other limitations on its much debated nuclear program.  Now that the U.S. and Iran have reached a nuclear accord, and Iran has ostensibly complied with the restrictions on its nuclear program, the import and export of Iranian goods is going to resume.

At Persian Gallery New York, we deal primarily in antique decorative carpets, classic oriental rugs, and period European tapestries.  While we feature a section of New Reproduction rugs on our website, we do not do any importing of rugs from Iran.  The vast majority of rugs in our inventory were imported to the U.S. decades ago.  Despite the fact that our rugs are antiques, and have not been in or around Iran in decades, their import and export was somehow still part of the embargo, just because of the rugs’ Iranian origin.

This wide ranging embargo caused some difficulties for the antique rug industry, as for the past several years, we were unable to make our classic rugs available to our clientele overseas.  Now that the import and export of antique rugs is resuming with the end of the embargo, it’s a great time for our clients to buy antique rugs, at the same great prices, despite higher demand, whether domestically here in the U.S., or overseas in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and beyond.

Here in New York, and elsewhere on the East Coast of the U.S., a huge snow storm is expected to arrive some time tonight or tomorrow.  As such, people will likely be off the streets, and nestled safely in their homes.  If you find yourself snowbound at home, sipping some hot chocolate, and thinking of what kind of decor can warm up your home, browse our industry-leading selection of antique Persian carpets!  Many of our rugs are available in our brand new Buy It Now section, or you can visit our Links page to connect to our stores on 1st Dibs, One Kings Lane, and Houzz.  You can also check out our PGNY Outlet, from which you can e-mail or call us with inquiries about how to find the best antique rugs and Persian carpets for your home!

PGNY Starts the New Year with A Special Sale on Its Ralph Lauren Tapestries

Happy New Year from Persian Gallery New York!  We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and we are excited to kick off 2016 with some major happenings here at PGNY, New York City’s best source for antique decorative carpets, classic oriental rugs, vintage pillows, and period European tapestries.

There’s a lot of NEW in the works in the New Year here at PGNY, with hundreds of antique rugs and tapestries being added to the website in the coming weeks, updates to the look and feel of our website, and more robust social media offerings, including Instagram, Pinterest, and Houzz.  Keep an eye peeled for detailed updates about all of these things here in future PGNY Rug Blog posts.

Today’s news, however, harkens back to two of our biggest news stories from 2015, and pushes them into a bold new direction for the New Year.  In 2015, we reported that Persian Gallery New York had joined 1stDibs.com, the ultra popular online resource for the finest offerings in art, furniture, and decor.   We also reported that a number of PGNY’s antique tapestries were being displayed in the windows of several prominent Ralph Lauren stores in New York and in Connecticut.

We are proud to announce that those two PGNY news events from last year are converging, and that we are now offering the antique tapestries that were displayed in the Ralph Lauren windows for sale directly through 1stDibs.com!

Follow the links below for more information about each of the four antique European tapestries that are a part of this special sale event, and follow the links to the 1st Dibs shopping cart, so you can purchase these incredible wall hangings right from your computer, tablet, or phone!  Now, from the comfort of your home, you can buy these rare period tapestries, and greatly enhance your home decor, all with a few clicks!  We look forward to hearing your feedback, and feel free to contact us directly with your inquiries, questions, or comments!

 

Item # 23863 French Game Park Tapestry 7’2″ H x 7’5″ W

23863 (pro)      Ralph Lauren - 2015 (NYC) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 26859

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/wall-decorations/tapestry/antique-19th-century-french-fox-hunt-tapestry-from-ralph-lauren-window-display/id-f_2300492/

 

Item # 29222 Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry 7’2″ H x 4’0″ W

29222 (overhead) Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 29222 (final)

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/wall-decorations/tapestry/antique-17th-century-flemish-verdure-tapestry-from-ralph-lauren-window-display/id-f_3829612/

 

Item # 31104 Flemish Verdure Tapestry 8’0″ H x 4’6″ W

31104 (overhead) Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 31104 (final)

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/wall-decorations/tapestry/antique-18th-century-flemish-verdure-tapestry-from-ralph-lauren-window-display/id-f_3829192/

 

Item # 31331 Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry 6’9″ H x 8’5″ W

31331 (overhead) Ralph Lauren - 2015 (Manhasset) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 31331 (preliminary)

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/wall-decorations/tapestry/antique-18th-century-flemish-verdure-tapestry-from-ralph-lauren-window-display/id-f_3828932/

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving, and Black Friday Deals!

From all of us here at Persian Gallery New York, we wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!  Of course, as Thanksgiving ends (or even before!), Black Friday begins, with shoppers getting major discounts on all types of products both in store and online.  We are proud to announce that we now have more items than ever before on sale, and available for purchase online, through the following portals:

PGNY on 1st Dibs:

https://www.1stdibs.com/dealers/persian-gallery-new-york

Currently on sale at 1st Dibs, we have a number of vintage decorative pillows, a variety of small size and room size antique oriental rugs and decorative carpets, many antique and period tapestries, and numerous other rugs and textiles in larger sizes.  Shopping cart available for immediate purchase, and some of the discounts have to be seen to be believed!

PGNY on One Kings Lane:

https://www.onekingslane.com/shop/pgny

Currently on sale on One Kings Lane is a unique pair of vintage decorative tapestry pillows, available with shopping cart for immediate purchase, at a price that’s almost too low to print!

The PGNY Outlet:

http://www.pgny.com/outlet

Our own hand-picked selection of antique, semi-antique, and vintage rugs, runners, textiles, and more, available in store with outrageous discounts!  Browse through the selection online, then contact us by e-mail or phone for availability, and to set up an in store viewing, or let us arrange shipping directly to you!

Check these three bargain hunter’s oases now, and check back daily for new additions and discounts!  Also, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and more for daily alerts as to what’s on sale, and where, by connecting with us on social media via our links page!

Happy thanksgiving, and have a safe, healthy, and happy Black Friday!  Remember that the best selection of antique decorative carpets, old oriental rugs, period tapestries, and vintage pillows is available with extreme discounts, just a few clicks away!  Happy shopping!

 

PGNY on Instagram, and Our Susan G. Komen Posts for October

Persian Gallery New York is now on Instagram! Follow us and check out our photos:

https://instagram.com/pgny_antique_carpetrugtapestry/  

In this month of October, our first several posts on the ultra-popular social media platform have covered our collaboration with Polo Ralph Lauren, which was detailed in our previous blog post (see this link):

http://pgny.com/blog/persian-gallery-new-yorks-antique-tapestries-appearing-in-the-window-displays-for-polo-ralph-lauren/

as well as calling attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the great work of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  In honor of Susan G. Komen and their “think pink” hashtag, we’ve posted the images of the following rugs on Instagram throughout the month of October, with the common theme of all of these rugs being their pink accents and color tones.  The images are all collected below, and in several cases, show the beautiful contrast between the iconic pink ribbon of Susan G. Komen with the more masculine, tribal or geometric designs of some of these carpets.  Check out these beautiful rugs, join us on Instagram, and make a donation to Susan G. Komen!

24806 (detail 4) 31676 (detail 4)

28565 (detail 3) 29297 (detail 4)  31696 (detail 5) 31703 (detail 5)

31708 (detail 3)

27080 (detail 5)

31701 (detail 4)

 

Persian Gallery New York’s Antique Tapestries Appearing in the Window Displays for Polo Ralph Lauren

Persian Gallery New York is proud to announce that several of our period and antique European tapestries are being showcased in the window displays of Polo Ralph Lauren! Polo Ralph Lauren is one of the most influential and enduring design brands throughout the U.S. and beyond, and we are happy to partner with them for these amazing autumn displays! These displays combine the classic and sophisticated aesthetic of Ralph Lauren, with the timeless verdant designs and color combinations of our antique tapestries. The perfect confluence of the two aesthetics points to a resurgence of the antique tapestry in the world of modern design.

The following PGNY antique tapestries are being displayed at the Ralph Lauren locations indicated below. We invite you to visit these Polo Ralph Lauren store locations in New York and Connecticut, and send us your selfies with our antique tapestries! We will also soon be announcing a unique opportunity to purchase these tapestries after they come out of the Ralph Lauren window displays! Keep posted to the PGNY Rug Blog for more information!

New York City – Upper East Side

Polo Ralph Lauren
888 Madison Avenue at 72nd Street
PGNY #26859   17th Century French Landscape Tapestry   9’7″H x 8’3″W
www.pgny.com/item26859 

 26859 (pro)    Ralph Lauren - 2015 (NYC) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 26859
(Editor’s note: This display came down shortly before this blog went live)

 

Long Island, New York – The Americana at Manhasset

Polo Ralph Lauren

1970 Northern Boulevard, at the Americana Manhasset
PGNY #23863   19th Century French Game Park Tapestry   7’2″H x 7’5″W
 23863 (pro)   Ralph Lauren - 2015 (Manhasset) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 23863 (preliminary)
PGNY #31331   18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry   6’9″H x 8’5″W
31331 (8MP) Ralph Lauren - 2015 (Manhasset) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 31331 (preliminary)

Greenwich, Connecticut

Polo Ralph Lauren
265 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich CT
PGNY #29222     17th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry   7’2″H x 4’0″W
29222 (4MP) Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 29222 (preliminary)
PGNY #31104     18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry   8’0″H x 4’6″W
31104 (8MP) Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 31104 (preliminary)
Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Greenwich Store All Window Displays
 Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 29222 (final)  Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Greenwich Store Right Side Window Displays
Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Window Display with PGNY Tapestry 31104 (final)  Ralph Lauren - 2015 (CT) - Greenwich Store Left Side Window Displays

Persian Gallery New York is Giving Pope Francis an Antique Tapestry for FREE!!!

Not much fazes the populace of New York City.  People walk through the bustling streets and barely acknowledge the constant wail of sirens, emergency vehicles, street performers, dogs, and the other cacophony of sounds that make up the soundtrack of daily life in the Big City.  If there’s one thing that trips up even the most hardened New Yorker, though, it’s heavy traffic.  And I don’t mean the usual take-an-hour-to-get-across-town traffic, I mean traffic so bad, you’d think the Pope is in town…

Well today, traffic is HELLACIOUS.  And yes, the Pope is indeed in town!

The whole world is watching Pope Francis‘ historic visit to The Big Apple, culminating in tonight’s visit to “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden.   Of course, withthe legions of people thronging into the city to see the Pontiff, security is tight, and many streets and traffic routes are closed off, squeezing traffic to a standstill in many major areas around town.

Now, let’s get down to business.  In the title of this blog entry, we state that Persian Gallery New York is giving Pope Francis the following antique tapestry:

http://www.pgny.com/item28997/franco-flemish-religious-tapestry-3-4×2-9

28997-camera

This is a fine Franco-Flemish tapestry from the border town of Lille, and it dates back to the early 17th century, making it a nearly 400 year old antique wall-hanging!  It features a humble priest, possibly a previous Pope, kneeling before a large cross.

We here at PGNY are ready and willing to give this to Pope Francis himself, for FREE, if he can just squeeze in a quick visit to our showroom on his way to Madison Square Garden.  I know, I know, traffic is a disaster, but he’s in his Popemobile, and MSG is straight up the block from us.  Seriously, we’ll give it to him FREE.  Okay, maybe he can snap a couple of quick photos with us, but that’s it, FREE TAPESTRY!

Of course, we know the Pope is busy guy, and I guess it’s conceivable that he might not be able to come into our showroom to pick up the tapestry.  And no, substitutes are not allowed, so he can’t send a Cardinal or a Bishop over to pick it up for him.  Well, if by some small chance Pope Francis doesn’t make it over here to pick up the tapestry himself, you, dear readers, are in luck, because you can now be the new owner Pope Francis’ very own tapestry!!  E-mail us at info@pgny.com, or call us at (212) 683-2699 to set up an appointment to come visit our showroom and see the Pope’s tapestry in person!  You might not get the tapestry for free, but when you call, use the code POPE and we’ll be sure to take care of you!  And I can personally guarantee, traffic will definitely not be as bad as it is today if you want to pay us a visit in the future!

Antique Tapestries with Bathing Women, and the Myth of Callisto

In an article featured in the New York Times‘ Art section this past week, the writer details an art exhibition currently taking place in the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris, entitled “La Toilette: The Birth of Privacy.”  The exhibition focuses on the way women’s bathing and toileting rituals have been historically depicted in classical European works of art, and what that reflects about the progression from bathing having been done public to bathing being done in private.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/arts/design/la-toilette-art-show-explores-womens-bathing-rituals-through-history.html?_r=0

The exhibition displays numerous works of art, including many antique tapestries, like this one:

Paris Art Exhibit Tapestry

The exhibition shows how, lacking the modern convenience of indoor plumbing and instant access to water, bathing was something done very seldom, and when done, was done only by the wealthy.  When wealthy women bathed, they were in the company of several attendants and/or ladies in waiting, making what we think of now as a most private of grooming acts a rather communal or public event, and one in which the form of the bathing female was exposed to the eyes of all those around her.  No matter how banal a ritual bathing can be, one can surely see the undercurrent of eroticism and voyeurism in such communal baths of the otherwise hard to access female elite.

This same undercurrent of eroticism and voyeurism can be detected in many classic tales from Greco-Roman mythology, and in particular, the myths chronicled in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.  In many of Ovid’s tales, a female figure pursued by a god or a satyr is transformed into a different form, often involving her contact with or pursuit through a body of water.

Case in point, let’s take a look at the myth of Callisto.  Callisto was one of the female attendants of the goddess of the hunt, Diana (aka- Artemis).  Diana and her attendants would regularly go on hunts of wild animals, and after their hunts, they would all bathe together communally in a nearby stream.  Callisto was one of Diana’s most loyal attendants, and was renowned for her vows of chastity.  As the story goes, Zeus, the king of all the Greco-Roman gods, and father to Diana, was renowned for his wanderlust, and was constantly chasing different women, both goddesses and mortals.  In this myth, Zeus seduces Callisto, and they have a torrid affair.  Soon thereafter, Diana learns of Callisto’s betrayal of her vow of chastity, committed with Diana’s father, Zeus.  She is furious, and after a hunt one day, Callisto’s shame is exposed during the communal bath.

This exact moment is captured in one of our antique tapestries:

http://www.pgny.com/item26032

26032 (pro)

In the moment that is depicted in this tapestry, we see Diana and the other attendants and nymphs exposing the shame of Callisto, not only in the sense of revealing the sordid details of her affair, but also in the physical sense of pointing out and shaming Callisto’s nude form in the midst of what was until then a sorority’s communal bath.  We, the viewers, almost become complicit in the shaming, and we see again the undercurrent of eroticism and voyeurism that is chronicled in the aforementioned exhibit in Paris.

The myth goes on, of course, and Callisto is metamorphosed into a bear by Zeus in a vain attempt to hide away his misdeed from his furious wife, Hera.  Diana, being the huntress, ends up killing the she-bear Callisto during a subsequent hunt, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, slays her former confidante, despite Zeus’ attempts to conceal their affair.  Zeus metamorphoses the dead she-bear Callisto again, sending her into the heavens by transforming her into the constellation Ursa Major, ie- The Great Bear.

What we can take away from this is that the depiction of the bathing female, and the underlying prurience that goes along with it, was not limited to artistic renderings of privileged females in mid-millennium Europe, but is deeply rooted in story-telling that dates back to Ancient Greece.  Concomitant with the renderings of the bathing female is the voyeuristic undercurrent we’ve discussed in this blog post, which can be seen from many different angles and points of view, but also must be seen to exist.

The lovely antique Franco-Flemish tapestry displayed above is an exquisite example of this, and is now available for sale online for the very first time.  You can bring this piece of history home today via Persian Gallery New York‘s store at First Dibs!

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/wall-decorations/tapestry/antique-18th-century-franco-flemish-mythological-tapestry/id-f_2572812/