Hunting Scene Illustrating the Month of January (The Hunts of Maximilian)

between 1665 and 1676

This tapestry belongs to a series of twelve, each illustrating a month of the year in the form of hunting scenes. Acquired by King Louis XIV of France in 1665, the original series immediately served as a model in the new Manufacture royale des Gobelins, where it was made. In this work depicting January, precious metal threads enhance the original design commissioned in the Renaissance, probably by a member of the Habsburg court.