Long narrow tapestry band with a narrative scene. Split tapestry-woven wool, white linen, silk and gold thread, with cotton used in the faces and hands on linen warps, and with knotted pile for parts of the costume (jackets, hats, fur) and for the flowers; 7 warps per centimetre.
This long narrow band, or Rücklakan, for hanging behind a bench, tells the Story of the Buzzard (Der Busant), a Middle High German romance written in poetry in the early 14th century in Alsace. Six scenes are shown on this piece. The scenes are identified by inscriptions on decorative bands: The first scene has the return to England of the King's son; in the second, he asks his servants for three horses and a fiddle; the third with the horses brought and the Prince sets out; the fourth with the Prince welcomed at the court of the French King; the fifth with the King of Morocco coming for his bride; and the sixth with the Prince escaping with the Princess.