An Allegorical Tapestry of the Theological and Cardinal Virtues, Brussels, Workshop of Martin Reymbouts, late 16th century

woven with a central colonnaded circular temple with a figure of Faith, standing upon a pedestal, flanked to each side by three bays, each supporting a lunette representing Day, Night and Time, each bay separated by columns and centred by standing allegorical figures, depicting from far left to right, of Justice, Prudence, Charity, Hope, Fortitude and Temperance, standing against a blue ground, the architectural entablature is supported by elaborate term figures, scrolls and masks, and surrounded by grotesque design, on a predominantly saffron ground, within a four-sided Elements border, with Earth in the side borders represented by a variety of animals, Air in the top border represented by various birds, and Water in the lower border, represented by creatures of the sea, each corner with  seated female allegorical figures and attributes representing the Four Elements; Air, is Juno with a bird, Fire is a woman with a thunderbolt, Water is a river god with an upturned urn and Earth is Ceres with a cornucopia; with further narrow inner and outer borders with interlacing geometric motifs, with weaver's mark on both lower corners of the left and right vertical selvedges

National Museum, Poznan, Poland, 17th March 2002 - August 2006.

Overall colours in the image on line and in the catalogue, are strong and with more contrast than in reality. The tapestry has more subdued colouring overall. Colours generally faded colours and areas of discolouration, for example to the clouds, top right corner. Green in borders more attractive. Not so blue in reality. Outer selvedge is graded shades of blue. Lower selvedge later. Repairs and reweaving to sections, for example see the red/terracotta areas to the right of the composition, and in areas of the brighter blue ground to the figural relief. Some warps showing in areas. For example to the brown inner shaded band to left border, as visible in the photograph, and to the areas of pale blue background. There is a repaired join, vertical and another horizontal, in the lower left corner, as visible in the photograph as a light line (possible previously from a doorway). Tapestry is lined with linen and has Velcro attached across the top edge for hanging purposes. Fine weave. Good stable condition with some charming details across the tapestry and to the highly decorative border.
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Brussels workshop of Martin II Reymbouts (b.1557 - d.1618)

Professor Delmarcel's research has discoverd that Martin II, succeeding his father, Martin I (d. 1562), he was already active before 1576, as in that year some of his tapestries were stolen and damaged in the Antwerp "Tapissierspand" (Tapestry Hall) during the Spanish Fury. In 1578, the Bishop of Chartres presented to his cathedral a series of the Life of Moses, signed by Reymbouts and still preserved in part there. He was one of the most important weavers in Brussels at the beginning of the 17th century, belonging to the group of the nine major manufacturers who signed in 1613 a petition for exemption from excise duties. Nine firms in Brussels claimed they had provided work to more than six hundred people and some had trading links through Antwerp. These `tapestry merchants' also claimed that they had respectively commissioned many new cartoons. They claimed a high reputation for the Brussels industry `Seeing that this noble art is useful and indispensable for all lords, princes and potentates of the world, and that the tapestries made in this city since living memory have, in the opinion of impartial judges and lovers of art, always had and maintained their value above all others'.

The Reymbouts monogram appears on a very important set of three gold and silver metal thread Armorial tapestries, with the coat-arms of Ambrogio Spinola, Brussels, after cartoons by Jan Snellinck the Elder, 1605-1619, the arms with a coronet and encircled by the Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which were offered at Sotheby's, London, 29^th October 2003, as lots 173 - 175, from a Private Collection.

A Grotesque Tapestry depicting an Old Testament Biblical central scene, circa 1575, Antwerp, attributed to workshop of Joos van Herzeele, sold Sotheby's, London, 25^th May 1990, lot 24, shows similarity in that unlike many other Brussels grotesque tapestries with geometric borders, this piece has an Elements border, though unlike the border on the present tapestry, it does not have the four elements represented in each corner by allegorical figures.

The influence of the Italian Renaissance and the classical influence of the grotesque is discussed by Professor Guy Delmarcel, in Flemish Tapestries, London, 1999, pp.86-94, and examples of Brussels `Grotesque' tapestries are illustrated, which are to be compared with the present tapestry. The colour of the ground varied, and examples exist on blue, red and yellow backgrounds.