The embroidery shows the famous episode of the abduction of Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, which marked the start of the Trojan War. The pattern itself must have been based on an European example, but some aspects, like the phoenixes and stylised waves are very Chinese in style. The faces and limbs of some of the figures were painted directly onto the cotton. Curatorial information suggests that the Chinese craftsmen were trained in Japan by Jesuits.
See also the entries on comparable hangings, from the same series, 'The Prophecy of Calchas' and 'The Sacrifice of Polyxena'.
Metropolitan Museum of Art online catalogue (retrieved 7 January 2017).
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