A Brussels Classical Tapestry, from the workshop of Heinrich Mattens first half 17th century

woven with classical figures of a lady and armoured males flanking her, one with distinctive beard, hat, cloak and elaborately armoured protection decorated with a winged term with fish tail legs, with a young man kneeling at her feet holding a suit of armour, further figures surround this grouping, all in the foreground of a landscape setting, with a battle taking place in the background, within an elaborate four-sided border with alternating compartments with architectural surrounds, of balconies, balustrades, columns, and arbours, with terms and masks graduating pillars, swags of flowers, floral and fruiting bouquets and exotic birds are interspersed amongst the compartments, with figures contained within, some couples, other mixed company groups, including musicians, each corner with figures seated eating around tables, the central arbour of the lower border with a scene of Bathsheba bathing at a fountain, the upper border with a fountain and formalised garden, with further inner and outer borders with scrolling foliate trails and stylised floral motifs, with the Brussels town mark, (reverse) B*B and the weaver’s mark, initials HM, in the lower blue outer selvedge, now tucked under; reweaving bottom right corner

H. Göbel, Die Wandteppiche, 1923-1934, Part I, Vol.i, pg. 12, notes the weaver’s monogram of the entwined H M, attributed to Heinrich Mattens (1629-1670).

Guy Delmarcel, Flemish Tapestries, London, 1999, pg. 360, for information regarding the Brussels workshop of the Mattens father, Cornelis (1576/7-1640), and son Hans (Heinrich), the later acquiring a privilege in 1613.