There hangs in the Archives a beautiful, but damaged, tapestry that was woven in Belgium between 1699 and 1709. Although the exact workshop is unknown, it was believed to have been created at the workshops of Albert Auwercx in Brussels, which was active from about 1660-1710. That workshop produced the Metamorphosis series of tapestries which centered around the relationships between Narcissus and Echo, as well as events relating to Jupiter. The designer of the figures in the tapestry was potentially identified as Louis van Schoor, with a strong possibility that Peter Spirincx designed the landscapes. This is not certain, however, because there was no weaver's mark on the border. It was woven from wool and silk on a tapestry loom, although it is unknown if it was woven on a high warp or low warp loom.
Dan Manget, LaGrange College trustee and benefactor, paid $75,000 for the tapestry in 1940 in New York. A few years later he donated it to LaGrange College, where it was hung in the Edmondson Parlor in Smith Hall, in addition to $100,000 to build the Louise Anderson Manget Building. In February of 1971 a student set fire to a couch in the parlor, and students who were in the infirmary in Smith and in nearby Pitts Hall sounded the alarm, helped put the fire out and rescued items including portraits of former College presidents. Unfortunately, the tapestry sustained smoke and fire damage. After consulting the Milliken Company for restoration advice, the central portion of the tapestry was cleaned and attached to a large piece of burlap with latex. The most damaged parts were along the border, which was removed; pieces of the border which were not damaged were placed in frames.
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