A 'mille-fleurs' tapestry fragment, probably Southern Netherlands, mid 16th century, and later

woven with variety of flowers incorporating animals and birds, against a dark indigo ground; with some reweaving, including a narrow band across the centre

This tapestry has a linen lining with trellis stitching across to keep in place. It is recommended that Velcro should be attached to the top edge for hanging purposes in the future. It is a fragment of a larger tapestry. The colours in reality have more green and are not as blue in tone, as appears to the foliage in the catalogue photograph. There are some areas of reweaving to this fragment. The top left corner including the small bird's head is later reweaving with some tinting (approx. 19cm. down from corner, and 13cm across from corner), and so is the lower left corner, including the body of the little animal (approx. 13cm. up from left corner and sickle shaped to 13cm. across at widest, to area just in front of animals nose). There is a narrow band of later reweaving across the centre of the tapestry, it extends in a scrolling shaped horizontal line (10cm. at highest point) from an area centre of left side, to the right of the small flower and leaf on the far left side, in the blue ground (56cm. down from the top edge, and 18cm. in from left edge) and ends (51cm. down from the top edge, and 19cm. from the right edge), within the green leaves centre of right side, above the small partridge and above the carnations. In the catalogue photograph this area is visible as the lighter coloured horizontal area and in reality it has more apple green tones within the colouring. There are some shaped areas of reweaving along the top edge: for example there is an area, to the foliage between the bird and rabbit, area left of centre of the top edge, which is in two finger shapes with original leaf between, (one extends approx. 22cm. down, 7cm. across at widest and the other, 18cm down, and 5cm. across at widest. There in another lollipop shaped area of reweaving along the top edge, in the top right corner, in area right of the central rabbit (approx. 7cm. on top edge, extending 18cm. down and then forming irregular edged circular shape approx. 19cm. at widest). Visible in the catalogue photograph as lighter group of leaves. There is an area of rewoven repair to ground, on top edge, left of flowers in the far top corner (visible in photograph as rectangular repair), and in an area of ground colour, in lower right corner, right of the plant on the far edge, and left of the red carnations, near the dog's tail. Another small area to ground again, in lower left corner, to the right of the two red bell shaped flowers above the rabbit's head (lower edge). There are some other much smaller scattered areas of repair, within the ground colour in areas, for example to foliage above the rabbit in the lower right corner (visible in photograph as more apple green in colour) and around foot of partridge centre right of composition, and to left of partridge on left of the group of three in the lower right corner, and to area at tip of the wing of bird in the top right corner. There are two small surface marks (waxy feel), one in lower left corner and one in the top right corner. This is an evocative tapestry fragment of the distinctive mille-fleurs genre, which originally were often very large tapestries that could have covered whole walls. It is balanced in colour and composition and has charming details, and is of a versatile size.
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'Millefleurs' verdure tapestries vary greatly in the style of plant and quality of weave and were woven in various workshops, especially in Northern France and Flanders. They are distinctive for their predominance of small flowering plants and are set without any illusion of a landscape. There are examples of this genre in various museum collections, most notable the major decorative arts museums in France (museums and châteaux), the USA, Netherlands and in the UK. For other comparable millefleurs tapestries that include small animals and birds.

See C. Adelson, European Tapestry in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1994, pp.105-115, for an `Allegorical Millefleurs Tapestry with Animals', probably Bruges, circa 1530-1545, which in design includes interspersed small fruiting/flowering trees with birds within the branches, and birds and animals, including rabbits, partridges and small deer, lions and hound, are all on a millefleurs and blue ground, within a four-sided scrolling acanthus leaf and stylised mask border, with corner compartments with stylised motifs. Adelson illustrates a wonderful example 1899 exhibition image of a very wide millefleurs tapestry with small plants and interspersed animals and birds, Flanders, 1530-1550, (Cathedral of Pistoia, Italy. For another fragmentary panel of similar style, and incorporating a small unicorn in the centre, Flemish, circa 1500, see G.F. Wingfield Digby, The Tapestry Collection – Medieval and Renaissance, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1980, Cat.16, pp.27-29, pl.25.

There are two very distinctive companion armorial millefleurs tapestries with floral wreath medallions and the arms of Paolo Giovio, circa 1543-1552 (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Collection of Prince of Liechenstein, Vaduz) and these examples have a millefleurs ground that incorporates small animals and birds across the whole panel, see Guy Delmarcel & Erik Duverger, Bruges et la Tapisserie, 1987, chp.4, pp.200-203, figs.5/1-6/1.

A. Cavallo, Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993, pp.293-295, pl.19 & fig. 119, illustrates wreath millefleurs with comparable ground designs used in the pastoral tapestries of the early 16th century from the South Netherlands, and they have similar proportions in the animals and flowering plants to that of the present fragment.