An Allegory of Spring

This embroidered hanging was probably part of a set depicting the four seasons. The personification of spring is shown surrounded by flowers and musical instruments. Also associated with spring are the garden tools (lower foreground), the insects and nesting birds in the foliage, and the signs of the zodiac--Aries (the ram), Taurus (the bull), and Gemini (the twins). Designed by the painter Charles Le Brun, this hanging was made for the Duc de Créquy in the 1680s. The embroidery may have been done at the Convent of St. Joseph in Paris. The design is worked in petit point, and the silk background is embroidered in a diamond, or diaper, pattern.