A BRUSSELS MYTHOLOGICAL TAPESTRY

SECOND HALF 16TH CENTURY

细节

A BRUSSELS MYTHOLOGICAL TAPESTRY
Second half 16th Century
Woven wools and silks, depicting a youth carrying a book and surmounted by a plaque inscribed 'EYPHKA' and an astrolab with the signs of the zodiac, flanked by two flame-breathing eagles and the initials 'P.T.' and 'S.L.' within a guilloche frame and a border with figures among strap-work and fruiting vases, to each corner with a coat-of-arms and to the sides with oval medallions with crosses, the top with the T-cross and a serpent and the bottom border with an oval medallion with a scallop-shell, both inscribed 'PVF', within a blue outer slip, the outer slip with the Brussel's town mark and unidentified weaver's monogram, the outer slip partially lacking, minor re-weaving particularly to the slip, the inscribed plaque probably later
97 in. x 91 in. (247 cm. x 231 cm.)

来源

Signor Stephano Baroini, offered in these Rooms, 29 May 1902, lot 562.

拍品专文

The arms to the angles of this tapestry have not been identified with certainty. Although they relate very closely to both the Carvalhaes and the Morais families of Portugal, in both instances the trees are not crossed by a sword. The arms of the Chatoff family of Russia do have a pear tree with gold fruit standing on a green mount with a silver sword on a white ground, but in view of their historical context these latter arms seem improbable.

The borders of this tapestry relate to a series depicting The Twelve Months of the Year by Nicolas Leyniers in the Museum fr angewandte Kunst, Vienna (L. Baldass, Die Wiener Gobelinssammlung, Vienna, 1920, vol. I, nos. 119 - 130), which have similar children within foliage and vases of flowers. A further tapestry set depicting The Story of Alexander (A. Calvert, The Spanish Royal Tapestries, London, 1921, pls. 152-157) again has similar children playing in the foliage, divided by cartouches and with coats-of-arms. A further tapestry of similar character depicting Atlas and Zephyr flanking a coat-of-arms surmounted by a sunburst and with coats-of-arms to the angles from the collection of Maurice Ruffer, Esq. and previously in that of Count Bosdari, was sold in these Rooms, 28 November 1932, lot 152.