This magnificent game-park tapestry forms part of a group known as pugnae ferarum, which depict combats between animals. Possibly the most celebrated of this group of tapestries are the 44 Brussels panels at Wawel Castle in Cracow (J. Szablowski, ed., The Flemish Tapestries at Wawel Castle in Cracow, Antwerp, 1972, pp. 191 - 286).

Pugnae ferarum are sometimes believed to incorporate allegorical meanings and a Christian morality. The overall scheme may be that described at the beginning of the Genesis. The animals and plants are freely mixed from every part of the Earth, such as can be imagined after the Great Flood. The battling animals represent the old forces, while man with the divine grace empowering him, represents the new order. The animals are taken from Physiologus' tradition and its moral lessons, but also from Pliny's Natural History, the medieval bestiaries and others. However, it is easyto overextend this interpretation as much of the imagery is probably purely for the pleasure of discovering nature (M. Roethlisberger, 'La Tenture de la Licorne dans la Collection Borromie', Oud Holland, vol. 82, part 3, 1967, pp. 107 - 108).

COMPARABLE EXAMPLES
A further, highly important group of pugnae ferarum tapestries belong to prince Borromeo and decorate his palace at Isola Bella (Roethlisberger, idem., pp. 85 - 115). The Isola Bella tapestries are attributed to Willem Tons of Brussels by Roethlisberger and are believed to date from circa 1565. M. Hennel-Bernasikowa, who researched the Cracow tapestries, on the other hand has identified Pieter Coecke van Aelst of Antwerp as its designer.

DESIGNER
According to Roethlisberger there are very few literary references to Willem Tons. Van Mander mentions 'before our times there was in Brussels a good master named Willem Tons who excelled in the painting of tapestry models. He introduced many types of trees, plants, animals, birds, eagles, etc, all very well painted from nature'. The next mention is by Felbien in his Entretiens sur la vie des peintres of 1685 specifying 'one named Tons, great landscape painter, who worked on the Maximilian's Hunts' and then again in 1724 in Sauval's Antiquitis de Paris that praises 'le plus grand paysagiste qui ait jamais existi'.

M. Hennel-Bernaskiowa has found a drawing in the British Museum that is attributed to the workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst (d. 1550) and that depicts very similar animals in a forest, including the famous Dührer rhinoceros and the elephant (M. Ferrero Viale, 'Quelques nouvelles donnies sur les tapisseries de l'Isola Bella', L'Art brabangon au milieu du XVIe siècle et les tapisseries du chateau de Wawel à Cracovie, Brussels, 1974, p. 109).

Pieter Coecke van Aelst is believed to have studied under Bernard van Orley. However, with the large number of tapestries of this type and the less specifically attributable borders of this tapestry, it is likely that engravings or copies made from van Aelst's original works are the basis of the design of this specific tapestry.