Lichens and Mosses in Art

The Toledo Museum of Art has a wonderful variety of paintings, glass, sculptures, books and other objects among its 30,000 works of art. One tapestry in particular struck me as very interesting on my most recent visits.

“The Legend of Romulus and Remus: Romulus Brings the Head of Amulius” was made by Frans Geubels in Brussels around the years 1575-1585. It is 11 feet 6 inches high and 14 feet 7 inches wide, woven with wool, silk and gold.

For me the most striking features are the very distinct lichens and mosses, as well as ferns and mushrooms. Here are a few examples:

Lichens and mosses are often shown in art as blurs of color on tree trunks and rocks. Is that how the artists saw them? Or did they see these details, but didn’t choose to show them? Clearly this artist was very aware of the smaller features in the landscape and did a masterful job of embellishing the art.

The tapestry is not currently on display at the Toledo Museum of Art, but you can download a large image and more information at https://emuseum.toledomuseum.org, search for “The Legend of Romulus”.

-Jim Toppin