# Bear Hunt and Falconry from a Hunts series

- By: Franco-Flemish
- Date: c. 1525
- Medium: Wool and silk; slit and single and double dovetailed tapestry weave Warp: Count: 5–6 warps per cm; wool: S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameter: 1.0 mm Weft: Count: varies from 16 to 24 wefts per cm; wool: S-ply of- two Z-spun elements;…
- Classification: Textile
- Dimensions: 259.8 × 337.5 cm (102 5/16 × 132 7/8 in.)
- Culture: Belgium
- Credit line: Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Charles H. Schweppe through the Needlework and Textile Guild
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/88699)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/d1be42f5-8ae6-d476-7b1f-98cc783fa02b/full/843,/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This scene, the center section of a larger tapestry, depicts the dramatic pursuit of a bear, with falconers conducting a much tamer hunt in the background. Enthusiasm for hunting was widespread among the European aristocracy, and this popular pastime was a common subject for late medieval tapestries. Hunting was not simply a diversion for the privileged, but was also fundamental to the education of a nobleman, testing his intellectual and physical prowess. Hunts, which often took place over several days, were social occasion for both men and women. The women were often spectators, as this tapestry shows.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0