The War of Troy tapestry
Cathy FitzGerald invites you to discover new details in old masterpieces, using your phone, tablet or computer. This episode – The War of Troy tapestry.
Cathy FitzGerald invites you to discover new details in old masterpieces. Each episode of Moving Pictures is devoted to a single artwork – and you’re invited to look as well as listen, by following a link to a high-resolution image made by Google Arts & Culture. Zoom in and you can see the pores of the canvas, the sweep of individual brushstrokes, the shimmer of pointillist dots.
Things get brutal this week, as we take a closer look at an extraordinary textile from the V&A - the War of Troy tapestry. It takes us to Troy in the ninth year of the siege, as Penthesilea, the Queen of the Amazons, rides out to meet the Greeks. Cathy FitzGerald hears why Renaissance nobles were fascinated by the Trojan myth and learns an excellent trick for cleaning a tapestry with a loaf of bread.
To see the high-resolution image of the painting, visit www.bbc.co.uk/movingpictures. Scroll down and follow the link to explore The War of Troy tapestry.
Interviewees: Venetia Bridges, Thomas Campbell, Paula Nuttall, Silvija Banić, Angus Patterson.
Producer and presenter: Cathy FitzGerald
Executive producer: Sarah Cuddon
Mix engineer: Mike Woolley
Art history consultant: Leah Kharibian
A White Stiletto production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4
Picture credit: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London / Kira Zumkley
On radio
From the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Read about the history and subject matter of the tapestry at the V&A Collections website.
Broadcast
- Tuesday 16:00´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4