A Dutch Floral Table Carpet second half 17th Century and later, Northern Netherlands

the central reserve with a scene of Abraham entertaining the three angels, surrounded by a flowering wreath, the deep blue ground filled with scrolling and flowering ribbon-bound festoons, within trompe l'oeil frame border of bound laurels.

The present lot is the product of the so-called Tulip Mania that occurred in Holland in the 1630s.  Floral decorations were abundant in household furnishings as craftsmen strove to outdo one another in creating the most lifelike replicas of flowers.

Contemporary depictions of tapestry table covers are rare, as most painters incorporated oriental carpets rather than tapestries on the tables in their interior scenes. However, an Antwerp artist called Gonzales Coques painted The Visit which depicted the interior of a wealthy burgher's home, featuring a similar table carpet as well as matching cushions, valances and hangings (see Mariet Westermann, Art & Home. Dutch Interiors in the Age of Rembrandt, Zwolle, 2001, p.169).  Also, see a similar table carpet sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam, June 22, 2004, lot 47.