Baroque Splendor

Among the most valuable pieces of the palace of Jever are the spendid tapestries called gobelins, dating from around 1680-1700 in the Gobelin Hall. They were made out of wool and silk. The two biggest picture carpets across from the windows show baroque garden and park scenes with aristocratic circles entertaining themselves with music and play. Everything is shown in great detail: the figures with their wind blown gowns, as well as the carefully composed landscapes with paths, fountains, plants, statues and pavillions.

The two other big gobelins at the gable end depict gardens, one with a rural scene and the other with a bathing scene. The smaller tapestries on the other wall are probably fragments of bigger wall hangings that were cut to fit the size of their location. This was a common procedure as gobelins were moveable furnishings.

According to documents from a later time, the tapestries were brought to Jever in 1726 by the princes of Anhalt-Zerbst and were originally used as a wall decoration in the audience hall. There were at least two more gobelins but their whereabouts are unknown. The fact that today the gobelins are to be found in Gobelin Hall is probably due to a profound renovation of the palace that was performed by the dukes of Oldenburg between 1831 and 1835.

It is difficult to interpret the depictions of the gobelins since their mythological or allegorical meaning cannot be determined unambiguously. There might possibly be a connection between the gobelin with the rural scene and the season's cycle, and the one with the bathing scene might be an interpretation of the myth of Diana taking a bath. What the tapestries do show is the ideal of an aristocratic society that - before a splendid background scenery - entertains itself with cheerful games and carefree amusements. The park sceneries are shown in great detail and in accordance to the principles of French garden architects of the 17th century. This, as well as the arrangement of the characters, point to the conclusion that the gobelins were probably made in Brussels in the late 17th century. Motives like bathing and washing of feet as well as antique-looking clothes can be found in a similar style on many picture carpets that were produced in Brussels between 1680 and 1710. Even considering the differences between those and the gobelins of Jever, they still seem to stem from a common workshop.
(Übersetzung: Isabella Erb)