A Flemish Allegorical Tapestry, Brussels, workshop of Jan Frans Van den Hecke, from the series The Arts and Sciences, probably after designs by Daniel Janssens (1636-1682) late 17th century

woven depicting a seated figure of Pallas Athena (Minerva), represented here as the patroness of institutions of learning and the arts, and with her armour, spear and shield, with a red material swag draped down above, overlooking various allegorical figures of the Arts with their respective attributes, Grammar,  Rhetoric, Astronomy, Music, all set within an interior architectural setting, with arch and balustrade, with landscape in the distance, within a narrow red and gold beaded border, with a blue outer selvedge, bearing the town mark B*B, and the weaver's initials, I.F.V.H.

Van den Hecke workshop, operative in Brussels in the 16th and 17th centuries. Jan Frans van den Hecke worked with his father Frans, and was dean in 1662 and still active until after 1700.

Daniel Janssens (1636-1682) of Malines (Mechelen), worked in Antwerp as a painter, is known to have supplied `8 stucken van de vrije Consten door Janssens geschildert', (E. Duverger, Antwerpse wandtapijten, Het Sterchshof, Deurne, 1973, exhibition catalogue, pp.70-72, Grammatica, no.37,afb.24 and Arithmetic, no.34,afb.23. (updated Memorie voor d'heeren Forchoudt te Wenen – Stadsarchief Antwerpen, I.B.853, published J. Denucé, Art Export in the 17^th century in Antwerp, Historical sources for the Study of Flemish Art, I. Antwerp, 1931).

Two tapestries from this series, one of which is the tapestry offered here, were recorded in an English Country House in the late 1960's. The tapestry representing the combination of the Arts with figure of Palles Athena (8ft. 9in., by 10ft. 5in.) and a wider companion piece, depicting figures of War and Peace holding, a picture depicting the Judgement of Solomon, before a prince attended by a poet, artist, musician and others, in the same border (8ft. 9in., high, 13ft. 8in. wide), both with Brussels town mark and weaver's initials I.F.V.H.  The figure of Palles Athena also appears in Allegorical tapestries of Grammatica, the first of the Seven Liberal Arts, for example a weaving of Grammatica (De Spraakkunst), showing Pelles Athena overlooking a boy being taught to read, Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 31^st March 1999, lot 95, see E. Duverger, `Antwerp Tapestries of the 17^th century', Connaisseur, CXCIV, April 1977.

This offered tapestry of a combination of Arts and Sciences in one scene, is much like the last tapestry in the series of The Seven Liberal Arts (L'Apothéose des Sept Arts Liberaux). The series of `The Arts and Sciences', are very similar but are not to be confused with the series of `The Seven Liberal Arts', designed by Cornelis Schut and woven in Bruges, including reference to War, Geography, Astronomy, Architecture, Painting, Music, Literature and Sculpture. `The Seven Liberal Arts' also bear significance as a moral warning against war and the conflict it causes. The instruments of war created by the skills of science in turn destroy everything positive created by the sciences. A recent tapestry from this related series to appear on the market, at Sotheby's, London, 29 October 2003, lot 228, was Astrologia, A Flemish Allegorical tapestry, Bruges, from the workshop of Carlos Janssens, after Cornelis Schut (1631-1655), circa 1650, in an elaborate four-sided border with scrollwork around floral filled vases, ribbon held swags and various putti, the bottom border with putti and further instruments associated with astrology, the top border with a central cartouche containing the inscription Coelvm Specvlando Terram et Aeqvor Arare Docet (By looking at the Heavens, she teaches how to plough the earth and sea), (370cm. high, 340cm. wide).

Further Literature:
Guy Delmarcel & Erik Duverger, Bruges et la Tapisserie, 1987, chp.65-72, pp. 453-489, for detailed discusion of the series of Bruges tapestries of the Seven Liberal Arts;
and Guy Delmarcel, Flemish Tapestries, London, 1999, pp.299-303, discussion of the Bruges series of the Seven Liberal Arts.

 

This tapestry is in good overall condition. It is a striking and well balanced composition, of fine weave. Colours are richer in reality and not as subdued, light colours not as startling. Some discolouration to colour of flesh of figures, commensurate with age. Sympathetic repairs and conservation. Some old repairs to sky and light areas generally, for example in the architectural columns in the background, and to highlights of dress of lady painting, and easel of cupid. Some of areas of brown weave have hints of warp threads showing, which is commensurate with the dye used, and the weave is stable. None of these facts detract from the balanced appearance. Simple classical border, with town and weaver's initials. With original outer four-sided selvedge.
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