Prado museum in Madrid has organized an exceptional exhibition where one can admire tapestries from ‘The Wedding of Mercury’ series. Eight pieces woven by Willem de Pannamaker (who lived in the Flanders between 1535 and 1581) constitute the series, which later entered the collection of Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, the first Duke of Lerma.
This Spanish noble was a great admirer and collector of Flemish and Italian art. Indeed, the Pannemaker series unites these two cultures and is probably why it was particularly appreciated by the Duke. The series, inspired by Metamorphoses by Ovid, narrates a story of love and jealousy, the main protagonists of which were Mercury, Herse and Aglauros. The borders of the tapestries are particularly worth mentioning and remain quite faithful to those designed by Rafael for the tapestries of The Acts of the Apostles at the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
This exhibition provides the unique opportunity to admire the original and complete series, the components of which are currently part of different Spanish and international collections.

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
June 1 – September 26, 2010