The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

Depicting an African king seated beneath a canopy and surrounded by an entourage of musicians and servants, this tapestry was woven in Brussels at the workshop of Jan-Frans Van der Borcht. The wall hanging is from a series titled The Four Continents, completed in the first half of the 18th century, before knowledge of the existence of Australia was widespread in Europe. The cartoons, or full-scale designs, for the series were made by different artists; those for this panel are attributed to the artist Philippe de Hondt, a Belgian painter who specialized in battle scenes. The scene illustrates Africa as imagined by Europeans of the time. Wearing a feathered headdress, and attired in opulent fabrics and golden jewelry, the royal figure surveys an assortment of gifts that demonstrate the richness of the continent: ivory, coral, and tortoise shell. Beside him, a table draped in satin is set with silver vessels and strands of pearls. Animals associated with Africa are also on view: a mischievous monkey plays in the foreground, a crocodile pauses at the river’s edge, and a herd of elephants wander in the distance. Such exoticizing images of Africa began circulating widely in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, as exchanges between the continents expanded.