Constantine Tapestries 

March 2020
Although everyone who enters the Great Stair Hall of the Philadelphia Museum of Art notices the twelve monumental tapestries hang in the hall, few people realize that they tell the story of Constantine the Great (272-337). This video follows the story through the tapestries. The Kress Foundation has published a book-length discussion of the tapestries at: www.kressfoundation.org/upload...
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The History of the Tapestries:
Louis XIII (1601-1643) was king of France from 1610-1643 (he was nine years old when he started). At some point in the 1630s there was a project to create a set of Constantine tapestries, which were either commissioned by the King himself or perhaps made to be sold to him.The great Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1557-1640) was engaged to design the tapestries.
After seven of the tapestries had been made (see the list below), those tapestries were given to Cardinal Francesco Barbarini (1597-1679). Barbarini took the tapestries back to Italy. These tapestries are REALLY expensive, much more so than paintings, so this was quite a gift. Presumably the Cardinal had a home the size of the museum’s Great Stair Hall. The Cardinal was so enchanted with the tapestries that he commissioned a famous Italian artist, Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) to design five more tapestries and he got an Italian factory to make the tapestries. In the following years, the tapestries were separated and some were not well conserved.
In the 20th Century the activity goes to Samuel Kress. He was the founder of a chain of 5&10 cent stores and eventually became a great collector of old master arts. After his death, the Samuel Kress Foundation donated his collection to museums across the country. Many items from his collection are in the National Gallery. The tapestries were donated to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (perhaps because the museum had a place to display them) and the Kress Foundation also supported the lengthy process of conservation.
The list below indicates which tapestries are French and which are Italian. A simple way to tell the difference is to look at the border on the left side. The French tapestries have a fleur di lis, the Italian tapestries have a bumble bee design. Also the French tapestries have more knots and so the figures are more defined. The colors on the French tapestries have held up better over the years.
The tapestries (in the order of the story).
The French tapestries were created between 1623 and 1625. The Italian tapestries were created in 1637. The websites take you to the photographs on the museum’s website. Because of the size constraints, the tapestries are NOT displayed in the order of the story.
Constantine Slaying the Lion (Italian)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|11
Apparition of the Cross before Constantine (Italian)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|12
Triumph of Constantine over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (French)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|7
Constantine’s Triumphal Entry into Rome (French)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|2
Baptism of Constantine (French)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|5
Marriage of Constantine and Fausta (French)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|1
Sea Battle Between the Fleets of Constantine and Licinius (Italian)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|10
Constantine Directing the Building of Constantinople (French)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|4
Constantine Worshiping the True Cross, Indicated by Saint Helena (French)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|6
Constantine Ordering the Destruction of Pagan Idols (Italian)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|2
Constantine Burning the Memorials (Italian)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|13
The Death of Constantine (French)
www.philamuseum.org/collectio...|3