A Flemish Pastoral Landscape Tapestry early 18th century

woven with a woodland with distant hills, the foreground with a river bank and bull-rushes, a large plant, rockwork and a lady and gentleman walking across from the right, both wearing hats, his with feather plumes, and also attired with doublet, hose and high boots, and sash with sword, the lady with bow adorned chemise, fitted jacket and blue and yellow skirt and overskirt, and with a fan, all within a four-sided border with scrolling foliate trails with blue ribbon, bows and,small birds, all on a yellow ground, with further narrow inner and outer banded cream and brown borders

De Meuter, Tapisseries d'Audenarde du XVI au XVIII Siècle, 1999, pp.203-205, illustrates and discusses Oudenaarde landscape tapestries with comparable borders, and pp.235-237 shows comparable small figural pastoral groupings in landscapes.

This tapestry has been professionally cleaned and lined. There is Velcro attached across the top for hanging. Blue sky good colour, stable, with some old repairs (old moth damage). Some splits in border, where warp showing, in light areas of flowers and to hair of lady in main composition. Some warps showing in areas of brown, commensurate with age and dye used, see lower edge. Some rewoven repair in areas, for example to the water. Balanced composition and colour. Versatile size and charming subject matter. Good and stable condition.
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