An embroidered pastoral panel, Northern Netherlands third quarter 17th century

This panel has a light grey lining and hoops attached across the top. It is recommended that Velcro should be added across the top for hanging purposes in the future. There is later braid applied to all edges. There are some minor loose threads, which need re-couching (attaching). For example around some of the leaf motifs, bottom right corner. Some minor oxidisation in areas, and some thread loss in scattered areas, for example to some of foliage and petals, insect wings. This does not detract from the overall unified appearance. This is a particularly beautiful and evocative fragmentary panel, with charming details. It is a versatile size.
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Embroidered panels, for wall hangings, valances, covers, upholstery, cushions and bolsters, were important luxury items within interiors and have not survived in large quantities. These hangings could have become the smaller fragmentary panels found and are therefore rarer to find as the larger panels. Early printed pattern books and engravings widened the circulation of designs, were used by weavers and embroiderers and matched in the elaboration of costume, and themes of horticulture and flowers were wide spread. Comparable textile designs can be found textile pieces in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and the Abegg Stiftung, Bern, Switzerland. For comprehensive discussion on the interiors in England, France and Holland, the influences, and importance of the textiles within them, see Peter Thornton, Seventeenth-Century Interior Decoration in England, France and Holland, Yale University Press, 1978.

For specific technical detail and designs of textiles see Lanto Synge, Art of Embroidery, History of Style and Technique, The Royal School of Needlework, London, 2001, Chapter V, The seventeenth century,  pp.110-159, and Margaret Abegg, Apropos Patterns for Embroidery, Lace and Woven Textiles, Schriften der Abegg-Stiftung Bern, 1978 vol. 4.

There are important early savonnerie floral table and floor carpets that have similar characteristics stylistically to the present embroidered panels, having the black or dark blue ground (occasionally brown), densely strewn with exuberant floral sprays interspersed between an overall design of golden rinceaux.

Interestingly the personnel involved with the production of these savonnerie pieces, Dupont and his successors, were professional embroiderers aswell as weavers, and it has been suggested that the design elements were inspired by contemporary engraved designs for embroidery and passementerie work (see Verlet, 1982, pp.163-166), such as those by Paul Androuet du Cerceau, and Georges Baussonnet. Pierre Dupont (circa 1577-1640), set up the Louvre workshop (1604/1608) worked alongside the Chaillot workshop operated by Simon Lourdet to produce carpets ‘au façon du Levant’, and they eventually combined to become the Savonnerie manufactory in 1671, which was acquired by Louis XIV in 1673.  

For examples with a design of exuberant rinceaux and floral sprays and vases of flowers, rather than the more formalised medallion and wide border designs, see Charissa Bremer-David, French Tapestries and Textiles in the J. Paul Getty Museum, J.Paul Getty Museum publication, Los Angeles, California, 1997, Savonnerie Manufacture,  pp.129-161, No.13, Carpet (70.DC.63), pp.130-137, for an example dating from the early period of Savonnerie production, circa 1665-1667, (approximately 670 by 440cm; 22ft. by 14ft), Paris, made in the Chaillot workshop of Simon Lourdet and Philippe Lourdet (active pre 1664, died 1671). For another similar example, circa 1660-1665, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Gift of Mr and Mrs Charles Wrightsman, inv.1983.268), see fig.13.6. 

For comprehensive discussion of comparable savonnerie floral table and floor carpets in Museum collections and the influence of contemporary engravings for embroidery, see Pierre Verlet, Savonnerie. The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, National Trust, 1982, and pg.173, fig. 107 for another comparable example (Private Collection, New York), with the exuberant and naturalistic design of the above cited pieces. See also Ebeltje Hartkamp-Jonxis and Hillie Smith, European Tapestries in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 2004, Floral Table Carpets, A Dutch product, pp.273-294, for discussion of the importance of flora and botany and for examples of floral covered dark ground panels, with some including cartouches with landscapes.