The Tapestries - Metropolitan Museum of Art

Left: In The Start of the Hunt the
cherry tree is prominently displayed
near the seigneur and his fellow
huntsmen. The cherry is often considered
to be one of the trees in
Paradise and also, because of the
abundance of its fruit, a symbol of
eternal life. Cherry trees are sometimes
associated with the Virgin
Mary: a popular medieval legend
recounts how in the cold of winter a
cherry tree miraculously blossomed
and bore fruit when Mary and Joseph
passed by it on their way to Bethlehem
before the birth of Christ. On the
other hand, the cherry has secular,
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much medieval art the tree adorns
scenes of love and revelry. Here it is
likely that the tree stands for both
celestial rewards and earthly delights.
The seigneur- from his striped
breeches to his jaunty hat - is surely a
picture of medieval fashion at its
most up-to-date, as is his elegant companion,
who has a spear in one hand
and a sword at his side.
Right: Dogs are shown in nearly all
the Cloisters tapestries. They were
not only essential to the hunt, but also
symbolized fidelity because of their
devotion to their masters. According
to fourteenth-century writer and
hunting expert Gaston III, Count of
Foix, two kinds of hounds were used:
greyhounds, always ready to run "as
swift as a fowl in flight," and running
hounds that, says Gaston, "hunt all
the day questing and making great
melody in their language and saying
great villainy and scolding the beasts
that they chase." Both kinds of dog
are present in the first tapestry: in the
foreground is a pair of greyhounds
whose keen sight made them indispensable
in the hunt; above them are
two running hounds, one sniffing the
air, the other the ground. ( The brownish
area at the bottom is restored. )