Les Saltimbanques (The Entertainers)

This tapestry features a variety of traveling street performers flanked by a well-dressed audience. Vertical forms predominate, and the elongated bodies of the figures, the patterning of their costumes, and the stripes of the tent all draw attention to the small cottages in the background. While the entertainers endeavor to delight the spectators, the horse and carriage in the background hint at the transitory character of their lives—and, in fact, the fleeting nature of life regardless of one's circumstances.