page_title: Valois Tapestries
section_title: Descriptions
hierarchical_section_title: Valois Tapestries / Descriptions
caption_attribution_description: English: Polish Ambassadors, from the Valois Tapestries
context_page_description: The Valois Tapestries are a series of eight tapestries depicting festivities or "magnificences" held by Catherine de' Medici's Royal Courts in the second half of the 16th century. The tapestries were primarily modeled on drawings done by Antoine Caron and assembled by teams of weavers in the Burgundian Netherlands, probably in Brussels or Antwerp, shortly after 1580. A number of great artists and artisans worked on the creation of these tapestries but today we are left with nothing but theories and speculation to their identities. Scholars such as Frances Yates and Jean Coural have developed nuanced theories backed by solid evidence to identify these unknown contributors, but research has yet to confirm many of these findings. These works display surprisingly intimate and personal moments within the royal inner circle clashing against the busy backdrops of these lavish festivals.
context_section_description: The collection of eight tapestries has no formal title, but is usually called the "Valois tapestries" and sometimes the "Fêtes des Valois". The tapestries, none of which has an official name are described and summarized in the table below.
caption: Fête aux Tuileries en l'honneur des ambassadeurs polonais, also known as Polish Ambassadors (388 x 480 cm. ; 153 x 189 in.)[34]
exif: {}