An English mythological tapestry, Mortlake, London 17th century

finely woven with a standing figure of young man in classical dress and cloak covering silver torso cuirass, with bow and quiver of arrows, with faint  halo around his curly blonde hair, an anvil and hammer visible in the bottom right corner with branches of moss covered tree above, with sparse autumnal coloured leaves, in the left background seated in the woodland is an embracing male and female, set within a landscape extending into the background with buildings on the horizon, clouds in the sky reveal a chariot with a standing winged cupid crossing the sky; within distinctive architectural border woven with side caryatid term figures with a male satyr head and torso to the left and the female on the right, both supported upon an exaggerated corbel with enveloping acanthus leaf, with pendant ribbon held fruit swags and the architectural plinth base and hoof feet, with top and bottom horizontal narrow borders with gold and red egg-and-dart motif with blue insets, all woven against a blue ground; main panel reduced width

Acquired by the Honourable Francis Bridgeman of Ennismore Gardens, London. Bridgeman family, Dowdeswell Manor, Gloucestershire 1943-1980 and thence by descent to the current owner

Colours of image in catalogue are tonally correct. The sky in reality is lighter and more attractive and more blue top right rather than grey. Balanced colour composition overall. The outer ground and selvedge is an attractive dark blue. This tapestry is not lined. It is therefore recommended that for future hanging purposes a lining with Velcro should be attached. Tapestry is reduced in width to the right. The right border is cut and joined. Some minor repairs in areas. Some minor weakness in areas of light highlights, for example to the bottom right corner there is a horizontal split to the column base above the hoof foot, as visible in the photograph which can easily be repaired. Some dark spots in sky. Areas of brown weave, for example the tree trunk and base of anvil, have light warp threads showing as speckles, which is commensurate with the dye used. Does not detract from overall attractive appearance. Small areas of wear to outer edge to right, and two areas of repair using brown wool, only noticeable on close inspection. Some charming compositional details, including the background details such as the chariot in the clouds, and attention to weaving detail overall such as shading of red and green leaves and finely woven foliage generally. Very striking borders. Versatile size, balanced colour and composition and in good overall condition.
"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."

See W.G. Thomson, A History of Tapestry, London, 1973, chp. XIII, 17^th Century England, Scotland and Ireland, pp.277-372, and pp.277-312, for discussion of tapestry weaving at the English manufactory at this tumultuous time in English history, and for specific details pertaining to important series some of which were designed and woven before and around the time of the Civil War which included Vulcan and Venus, The Hunter's Chase, and `The Acts of the Apostles'.

The first tapestries woven at Mortlake representing the myth of Vulcan and Venus, were based on a series of Italian designs woven by Brussels weavers, and the cartoons used in England were thought to have been drawn up by Rivières from the originals, and their weaving was overseen and directed by de Maecht. The first set woven included metal and silver gilt threads. Many sets were woven and the subject was popular and recorded up to 1670, see W.G. Thomson, Tapestry Weaving in England, London, 1914, discussed Philip de Maecht and descriptively details the commission details pertaining to the series of Vulcan and Venus woven at Mortlake, pp. 71, 79-81, and illustrated example as the frontispiece fig. 1, from the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London. A similar caryatid border is recorded on a weaving on a panel from the series `Vulcan and Venus, recorded in an English private collection. C. Adelson, European Tapestry in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1994, pp.161-288, in discussion of a set of Artemesia tapestries and the weaver de Maecht, discusses and illustrates a tapestry depicting`The Forge of Venus', from the series original series of Vulcan and Venus, woven under Philipe de Maecht in England at the Royal Manufactory at Mortlake, circa 1620, with border designs attributed to Henry Lerambert, Paris, 1600-1602, from a cartoon painted in England circa 1619-20, this example is now in the Royal Collections, Royal Palace, Stockholm. It bears the same weaver's mark and the shield. The cipher is the entwined initials PDM, and the shield a version of the Mortlake shield of the Cross of St George.

Border Design

This very distinctive architecturally composed border was used for English tapestries for several recorded series. For example for the distinctive series `The Hunter's Chase', derived from The Hunts of Maximilian, after Bernard Van Orley, second and third quarter 17<sup>th</sup> century, woven at Mortlake. This border type had variations on the different sets woven.  Sotheby's, London, 13th December 2000, lot 70 offered a panel from the series `The Hunter's Chase', depicting the `Boar Hunt', woven Mortlake, circa 1650-1670, which had very similar side caryatid term figures with the male satyr head and torso to the left and the female on the right, both supported upon the exaggerated corbel with enveloping acanthus leaf, with pendant ribbon held fruit swags and the architectural plinth base and hoof feet, woven with a blue ground. This tapestry was marked with the Mortlake manufactory shield mark of the cross of St George in the lower right corner on the blue ground (380cm. x 575cm.). The top horizontal border differs to that of the present tapestry in having a cornice and architrave with pendant swags held by corner flying cherubs, with central blue cabochon within sculptural surround with cupid heads.  Another tapestry from this series depicting `The Fox Hunt', was published in Welkunst, Vol. 55, no.18, September 1985, with Benedikt Korth, Munich, described as English, Mortlake, circa 1646, it has similarly composed borders, although more stylised, each satyr figure, lady left, man right, supporting a basket of exuberant flowers upon their heads, their hair clasped with red ribbon ending with a tassel, as opposed to the pendant fruit swag on other sets, and there are no hoof feet, and the base supporting the acanthus leaf  has a plinth centred with a red cabochon. The tapestry had the Mortlake shield in the lower right corner woven on the blue ground (320cm. x 285cm.). The horizontal top border comprised of open strapwork, with central red cabochon, and interlaced red ribbon held floral swags, and simple narrow golden border across the lower border, all against the blue ground. This panel is illustrated in W.G. Thomson, Tapestry Weaving in England, London, 1914, p.89, fig. 23, described as `Wolf Hunt'.

A museum example from the series, depicting `News of the Stag', is discussed and illustrated in Edith A. Standen, European Post-Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1985, pp.708-711, no.125.  Described as English (probably Mortlake), designed pre 1645, woven 1646-1670.  It has a border which is similar to the sytylised version mentioned previously, although the satyrs, lady left, man right, do not support baskets of flowers, and the top border has a more elaborate frieze, with corner cabochon, and ribbon held pendant floral swag, the corbels are replaced by group of flowers and foliage and the acanthus leaf side is supported by the plinths with cabochon and joined by a horizontal lower border, with similar detail in centre. This tapestry bears the shield, again in the lower right corner (345cm. x 465cm.). 

Standen discussed related tapetries in the series The Hunter's Chase', some of which have variations of this border type and suggests that the series although based on the Flemish series, may have been conceived by the official designer at Mortlake, Francis Cleyn, which would include the border, which is integral to the composition. The series of tapestries designed by Cleyn of `Hero and Leander', include weaving with a simple frame pattern border which incorporates the narrow gold and red egg-and-dart border motif with blue insets, which is present on the offered tapestry. There are similarities in border motifs used on tapestry series firmly attributed to Francis Cleyn, a painter who worked initially for King Christian II of Denmark and was introduced to the English Court and King James I (d.1625) secured him an appointment at the Mortlake manufactory, under the supervision of the first director Sir Francis Crane (d.1636), where he remained until his death in 1658. W.G. Thomson, Tapestry Weaving in England, op.cit., London, 1914, p.89, discusses the origin of this series of `The Hunter's Chase', being commissioned in 1645 by the Community of the Dutch Church in London in preference to a tapestry of the `Acts of the Apostles', after Raphael, which had been proposed to them by the weavers at Mortlake. Thomson discusses the commission of the series and interestingly alludes to the support of the tapestry weaving industry by both Royalists (Catholics) and Puritans (Protestants) at this time of political upheaval.

A tapestry from this distinctive Biblical series, `The Acts of the Apostles', woven at Mortlake, depicting the subject of `The Death of Sapphira', Boughton House, Duke of Buccleuch, a panel which is associated only as an English addition of subject to the series, has a variation of the satyr border, with two females with arms, baskets of flowers on their heads, and swags of flowers passing over their shoulder through their arm and down the supporting marble term supported by a grotesque animal head, with simple cornice with pendant floral swag and narrow frame lower border with simple central entablature, the tapestry bears the Mortlake shield in the lower right corner on the blue ground, and has the family coat-of-arms centred in the top border, see H. Göbel, Die Wandteppiche, 1934, Part III, Vol.ii, Berlin, English, Scandinavian Marks and Illustrations, no.132. A similar border with female caryatid figures is found on a Mortlake `Acts of the Apostles' tapestry in Chester Cathedral.