The Festival of Psyche, with Mercury from a set of Mythological Subjects after Giulio Romano 1684 - 1692

This is a tapestry woven after a design by Giulio Romano, dating back to the Renaissance. Immediately, the scale overwhelms us. The artist uses layering and a complex arrangement of figures to draw us into a world of classical myth. Note how the eye is drawn to the center, where a cluster of figures interacts in a dynamic tableau, almost as if caught in a moment of theatrical performance. The composition relies on a contrast between darker, shadowed areas on the left and brighter, more illuminated spaces on the right, creating depth. This division also serves a semiotic function, contrasting the wild, natural world on one side with the cultivated, civilized sphere on the other. The tapestry’s materiality — the weave of threads — adds another layer to its meaning. The texture softens the depicted forms, challenging any clear distinction between reality and representation. The artwork operates within a semiotic framework where signs and symbols intersect. By blurring these boundaries, Romano invites us to question fixed meanings and to embrace the fluidity of interpretation.