A Flemish Biblical Old Testament Tapestry, Brussels, workshop of Frans Geubels second half 16th century,

Perhaps from the Story of Abraham, depicting his servant Eliezur distributing gifts to the family of Rebecca (Genesis, 24:53), set in a landscape setting, with subsidiary scenes, in an elaborate four-sided architecturally compartmentalised border, with eight Latin proverb banderoles, the upper and lower borders centred with the same recumbent allegorical figure of Plenty in a balustraded niche with sphinxes and satyric gardeners, with alternating compartments with groups of flowers and foliage, with others enclosing allegorical birds or creatures respectively with which the Latin Proverbs are associated, for example, Ne.Cviqvam.Noceat (she will harm no-one) with the stork with serpent, the side borders with the same standing allegorical figure of Justice below a small canopy, the compartments with birds and animal and each corner with two figures, including Juno and her attribute of the peacock, with further narrow inner and outer borders with scrolling ribbon and stylised floral sprig, all within an outer blue selvedge, with the Brussels town mark, B*B and weaver's mark, the top right selvedge with later additional Latin proverb, Viligvs.Iniqvitatis

Guy Delmarcel, Tapisseries Anciennes d'Enghien, Mons, 1980, pp.96-103, figs.44-48, discusses and illustrates five tapestries from a Flemish tapestry set depicting The History of Abraham, attributed to Enghien, workshop of Philippe van der Cammen, last quarter 16^th century, woven with the town mark and weaver's initials PVC. They all have a very similar border, with allegorical and mythological figures and Latin banderoles, allegorical representations of animals (from Pliny I's Historia Naturalis), although the centre of the upper border on this set does not include an allegorical figure, but a flaming urn at the top of steps.

Ebeltje Hartkamp-Jonxis and Hillie Smith, European Tapestries in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 2004, pp.97-100, no.20. catalogues a similar tapestry, from The Story of Tobit and Tobias, depicting Tobit and Anna taken into Exile in Nineveh, Brussels, circa 1560-1575, and bearing the Brussels town mark, the mark of Frans Geubels (same mark as on the offered tapestry), and additional initials NDW. The borders are of the same composition and also include the Latin banderoles associated with the compartments with the allegorical representations of birds and animals, and the same figure of Plenty with cornupopia and basket of flowers. In addition another tapestry from the series, depicting The Return of Tobias, circa 156-1575, by Frans Geubels, with the same distinctive borders with some variations in the allegorical animals, exists in the Musée Bonnat, Bayonne, illustrated. ibid. pg.99.fig.37. The lower left corner figures of these two museum tapestries is represented by the same two figures as in the present tapestry, but includes a figure of a putti between.

Another Brussels narrative weaving from the Story of Jacob, distinct with the inclusion of Jacob and the ladder in the background, is recorded in a private collection, and has a similar compartmentalised border, with the Latin proverb banderoles, use of standing and seated allegorical figures, some animals and repeat figures of the recumbent lady, holding a basket of flowers, rather than cornucopia, and the selvedge is woven with the Brussels town mark, and unidentified weaver's mark.

H. Göbel, Die Wandteppiche, 1923-1934, Part I, Vol.i, appendix pg.3, illustrates the weaver's mark, which is one of the several variations used by Frans Geubel (1540-1590).

 

This tapestry has been restored. It has been lined with cotton and Velcro has been attached across the top for hanging purposes. Colours warmer and more subdued and more attractive in reality. It is a finely woven wool and silk panel. There are some repairs in areas, for example to the silks. Minor areas of warp threads showing in places. Flesh tones and sky discoloured, which is commensurate with tapestries of this age. Old repairs to light areas, commensurate with age. This tapestry has balanced composition and colour, with a very decorative detailed allegorical border. Bears town and weaver's marks in orginal blue selvedge. There are some old spot repairs to the selvedge, visible as the terracotta colour.
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