A Flemish metamorphoses mythological tapestry, from the Story of Meleager and Atalanta, after Charles Le Brun, Brussels or Antwerp, late 17th century

woven with large figures within a landscape, depicting the presentation by Meleager of the boar's head to Atalanta (Ovid's Metamorphoses: Book VIII),  within an architectural border incorporating sculptural surrounded cabochon and pilaster detailing, decorated with ribbon tied swags of flowers and foliage, the top corners with ram masks, on a brown ground

Sold Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 19th February 2003, lot 504, Provenance, Grand Dukes of Baden, Palais Sickingen, Freiburg
Sold by HRH Grand Duchess Hilda

The composition of this tapestry has been inspired by the Charles Le Brun cartoons, and is a derivative simplification. For discussion of the Charles Le Brun series of tapestries originally commissioned for the Maincy workshop (pre Gobelins) set up by Nicholas Forquet (Louis XV's finance minister), and then woven repeatedly in Brussels, initially by Leyniers workshop on obtaining the cartoons in 1673, and by the workshops of van Leefdael and Peemans, see Lisses et Délices Chefs-d'oevre de la tapisserie de Henri IV à Louis XIV, Caisse Nationale des Monuments historiques et des sites, 1996, chp. Méléagre, pp.266-283. 

For a mythological tapestry with similar figural composition within a virtually identical border, including the lower border, woven depicting a scene from the Story of Venus and Adonis, see Sotheby's, London, 10^th June 1999, lot 6 (previously offered Sotheby's, Monaco, 20^th November 1979, lot 304).

 

 

Tapestry is lined with old hessian. It has old hooks, and it is recommended that Velcro be added for future hanging. Some sections of original selvedge. Old repairs. Old damage. Some splits and warps showing in areas, commensurate with age. Generally faded. Good size and balanced composition.
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