A Flemish `Feuilles de Choux' Large Leaf Verdure Tapestry, probably Enghien second half 16th century

woven with exuberant scrolling leaves, interspersed with flowering trails and a snail, an exotic bird, wolf chasing prancing stag, and exotic horned goat, with central foreground plant with flowering foliate stems, the centre of top edge with partial small golden mask, probably from previously surrounding superstructure, all within a later yellow and blue banded selvedge; reduced height and width

The colours are more attractive - not so muted as in the catalogue/online photograph, but with more definition and with more richness to the shades of green. Colour in bird feathers, fruit and flowers more evident and more attractive than appears in photograph. Tapestry has been professionally lined with linen backing, and with Velcro attached across the top for hanging purposes. There are some old repairs in areas, and small sections of reweaving. For example there are old repairs to some of the flowers, visible as the light highlights to petals of some. Some repair to the leaves, particularly those on the central vertical stem in the composition. Repairs to areas of the ground, see for example brown in bottom left corner. Animal lower left corner is lighter overall in colour than the other animals, and there are new highlights to define the eye. Repairs to some silk highlights generally, and for example to the neck of beast on the right side of the composition. Charming details overall. Balanced colour and composition. Versatile size. Overall in good professionally restored condition. The outer selvedge of blue and yellow banding, is later.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Comparable Literature

G.F. Wingfield Digby, The Tapestry Collection – Medieval and Renaissance, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1980, pp.54-56, cat.48-49, pls.68-72, discusses and illustrates this type of large leaf tapestry, and two very similar fragments (no.49), both with the exotic animals and without any borders, which are comparable to this offered lot.  

For similar tapestries at auction, see Christie's London, 9^th November 2006, lot 104, dated circa 1550, possibly Grammont, for a larger panel, with three borders, which has a very similar exotic and colourfully feathered bird, and the wild beast appearing from behind large leaves and the spindle stems of the foreground flowering plant. For others see Sotheby's London, 11^th June 2003, lots 1 & 18 for two similar Flemish Feuilles de Choux fragments of this type. See also Sotheby's London, David Sylvester Collection, 26^th February 2002, lot 65 was a central section without any borders. Sotheby's London, 26^th May 1989, lot 22 and Sotheby's, New York, 1^st June 1978, lot 389 for other similar tapestry fragments without borders.  For more complete tapestries of a type from which this could be a fragment see Sotheby's, London 22^nd May 1979, lot 463 and 464, and Sotheby's Florence, 23^rd May 1988, lot 544.

For other similar types of the same exuberant foliage in tapestries see Edith Appleton Standen, European Post-Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum, 1985, Vol. I, pp.177-179, for discussion and illustrations of two very similar fragments, dated circa 1550-1560, catalogued as Grammont, with one bearing the Grammont mark, both with the exotic birds, however there are no animals. In addition Candace Adelson, European Tapestry in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1994, pp.116-121, illustrates and discusses a large leaf fragment with birds and an example from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, which unlike the Minneapolis example has a full four-sided border, both of which are dated 1540-1550, and considered to be Oudenaarde or Geraardsbergen (Grammont).   

See also Guy Delmarcel, Flemish Tapestries, London, 1999, pg. 168-207 for discussion and illustrations of the various Flemish interpretations of the large leaves within compositions, whether woven in Grammont, Oudenaarde or Enghien.