Vertumnus in disguise as a Pedlar, A Flemish Mythological Tapestry, from The Story of Vertumnus and Pomona, Brussels, workshop of Jacob I Geubels and Jan I Raes, from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book XIV: 623-771) first quarter 17th century

the deep elaborate architectural four sided border with strapwork corners centred with masks and bearded figures, the centre of the lower border with a scallop-shell centred with lion head, flanked by dolphins, with narrow blue selvedge with ribbed detail; 

Tapestry is partially lined, with linen - around all edges and then in vertical strips, leaving three alternate strips of tapestry showing. Revealing true colours, not so faded, as on the front of the tapestry. It is There is presently herringbone and brass screws across the top edge, however it is recommended that Velcro should be added across the top edge (approx. 261cm. wide) for hanging purposes in the future. Blue outer selvedge largely original, with some repaired old moth damage, evident as slightly different coloured spots. Selvedge along top edge is later, and the far right edge to the right hand vertical selvedge is repair (visible as different colour). Overall in good and stable condition. Colour faded generally, commensurate with age. There are some minor small splits in areas. Areas of repair in areas to main field and border, for example highlight areas, such as the sky, the edges of border corner strapwork surrounding the masks, the inner edge of the staff held by Vertumnus, also within sections of the architectural features and the yellow banded narrow outer border, and to light highlights within flowers in the upper canopy. Some repairs to the central figure of Vertumnus, visible within the blue cloak (lighter blue repairs) and the red robe (with some pink repairs), and repair to his left arm, visible as the bolder blue and brown, and the almond brown coloured inner edge of the fur lined jacket is repair. Some flecks of wefts showing in areas of brown weave, for example with the supports to the columns, see bottom right corner near tortoise, and brown inner banded borders, which is due to corrosion of brown, which is commensurate with the age and colour of dye. Balanced composition and colour. Versatile size. Charming subject.
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Of all the subjects depicted in the various series of `Vertumnus and Pomona', this panel depicting `Vertumnus as a pedlar' does not appear in the text of Ovid's Metamorphoses, or in the three earlier sets in Madrid, or the complete set in Vienna.

An identical tapestry panel, with the same orientation of all the figures, being from the later 17^th century series of tapestries, in a different border type, first quarter 17^th century (Toms Collection, Lausanne). The border type is an exuberant scrolling foliate trail incorporating putti and term figures in gold and red, with a distinctive gold and blue narrow outer border, attributed to Jacob I Geubels (illustrated Guy Delmarcel, Nicole de Reyniès & Wendy Hefford, The Toms Collection Tapestries– 16^th to 19^th centuries, Ed. Giselle Eberhard Cotton, Foundation Toms Pauli, Lausanne, Verlag Niggli AG, Zurich, 2010, Chp. I: The Flemish Tapestries, Guy Delmarcel, Tapestries from the series The Story of Vertumnus and Pomona, colour plate Cat. 24, pg.77-78. The background castle and formal gardens are taken directly from engravings by Hans Vredeman de Vries, published in Antwerp in 1562, in his `Small architectural perspective views', called the Granvelle Series. There are five other panels with this border type, recorded in the above publication and discussed in the footnote for the tapestry offered as lot 58 in this sale, `Vertumnus in disguise as a farmer'. 

For a weaving of `Vertumnus disguised as a pedlar' from a comparable weaving by Reymbouts, showing an earlier design, which was later simplified in the Raes workshop, and incorporates Pomona standing next to Vertumnus in the foreground, choosing something from the tray of luxury novelties held by him, with Pomona not standing in the background as in the present panel see Jacqueline Boccara, Ames de laine et de soie, Édition d'art Monelle Hayot, 1988, Chp. Parcs et Jardin, pp.246-287, Vertumne et Pomone, black and white fig. pg.250). This panel is one of four tapestries from a 16th century series woven by Reymbouts, with the other three panels depicting  `Vertumnus embracing Pomona', `Vertumnus disguised as an old woman' and `Vertumnus as a reaper', and they are all within elaborate `elements borders', bearing the Martin II Reymbouts weaver's marks (illustrated, Boccara, opcit., pp.248-251).

European merchants were often depicted as itinerant pedlars that travelled between the fairs and towns. It is interesting to see a wonderful engraving of a German equivalent of a pedlar, Der Kramer, German, late 16th or early 17th century (Bibliothéque Nationale de France, Paris), which along with many other engravings of the time could have been considered for tapestry design.  The figure has the tray around this neck with all the novelties placed within (illustrated in Carolyn Sargentson, Merchants and Luxury Markets – The Marchands Merciers of Eighteenth Century Paris, Victoria and Albert Museum Studies in the History of Art and Design, London, 1996, pg.10, plate.3.

See lot 55 for extended footnote and literature for lots 55-58.