The Spanking Tapestry

Claire has found and posted the most wonderful detail from a sixteenth-century French tapestry:

french spanking tapestry

Go see Claire’s post and its comments if you are having trouble translating the captions.

  1. Claire commented on April 28th, 2005:

    Wow, SB, I think this is your best post so far this year! ;-)
    (Thanks for visiting)

  2. Czarina commented on April 28th, 2005:

    I have seen that photo before, and many others. There are many instances in World History where you can find things of a sexual nature, weather they were ment to be that way or not. It seems that people think that the sexual openness is only something that has happened lately, but that is not quite true. It is just something that gets stomped on, and hidden every so often.

    Regards, Czarina

  3. Ed commented on May 1st, 2005:

    Fascinating photo!! As a professor of history and former Latin scholar, I have frequently seen similar scenes in texts and manuscripts. Many, many years ago when I was a freshman in high school and was starting my first year of Latin, I was mesmorized by a drawing in my textbook of a young student receiving a birching on the bare buttocks in front of the entire class. This took place in a classroom in ancient Italy. There are many examples of strappings and floggings among the early Etuscans and countless works of religious art depict spankings and whippings.

  4. Sultry Sabrina commented on May 1st, 2005:

    Great picture…I love when history teaches people a lesson. Why do people of todays era think that sexuality is something that people should be ashamed of? The tapestries and writings of ancient times have taught us that we have become more repressed over the years, not less repressed: shouldn’t a deeper understanding of ourselves come with age??

  5. Becky commented on May 1st, 2005:

    Can someone please tell me which source this came from, so I can put the picture and the citation in my period styles book? Nothing to liven up a boring assignment than adding something like this!

  6. Ben Mitchell commented on January 17th, 2006:

    Great image,very unexpected and just what we need to remind us what barbarians we are in world where sexual imagery is notable by its absence in the global art marketplace apart from exceptions like Araki and a handful of others.Could Czarina suggest where more images might be found?

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A "Punished Delinquents In Tears" Movie:

Detention House 3: Spanked Inmates Made Very Sorry

blubbering blonde with a beaten ass
"...a heavy round wooden paddle with a hole in the middle that leaves fearsome red bruises. And then the shaking girls with beaten butts and tearful faces receive another terrible punishment..."