Shepherds and Shepherdesses Dancing from a set of Mythological Subjects after Giulio Romano designed 1684-86, woven 1689-92 Designed after a drawing attributed to Giulio Romano Italian In a woodland setting, three men and three women dance in a ring. A pile of musical instruments lies in front of them on the bank of a stream. For centuries, these bucolic figures have been called shepherds and shepherdesses, although there are no attributes specifically identifying them as such. This tapestry is from a set of eight, traditionally called Les Sujets de la Fable. The designs for all eight tapestries are based in part upon drawings then in Louis XIV's collection- now preserved in the Louvre- which were all, at that time, attributed to Giulio Romano. Four of the tapestries in this series- all of which are part of The Mets collection- ultimately take as their inspiration frescos by Giulio Romano and his assistants in the Palazzo Te, Mantua. The design source of this tapestry is Giulios fres