Flora

This tapestry is woven from the drawings of Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris at the end of the 19th century.

The character represented is the goddess Flora. She is one of the most ancient and powerful goddesses among the agricultural deities of Italy. It was celebrated every year, in the spring, in agrarian festivals intended to favor harvests for the growth of cereals and fruit trees. Later she was dedicated to the flowers to which she gave her old name sabin. The goddess Flore plays in the plant world the same essential role as Venus in the world of animate beings, both men and animals.

The inscription at the top and bottom of the hanging is a hymn to the goodness of the goddess:

“I am the servant of the Earth, I embroider her glorious dress and dress in her days of hilarity with many a crown of renown. And while the little ones of the earth are weak and have fun from the mother’s hem, I pour out every gift that I earn from the sun and the wind to delight them. “