A Brussels allegorical tapestry of Love from the series the Inclinations of Man, from the workshop of Matthijs Roelants and Joris Leemans, after a design by Lanceloot Lefebure circa 1650

woven throughout with silver and gilt metal thread, the cartouche in the upper border with the Latin inscription, "Quem non tangit/Amor quem non sua/spicula ledunt", he who is not touched by Love is not pierced by his darts.

Ancienne Collection Baron Empain, Brussels
Sotheby's, London, October 30, 2002, lot 68

Lined with velcro. Some open warps and splits throughout. Restoration throughout, particularly in light colored silk areas. Some reweaving. Minor piecing and patching. Some fading. Tarnishing to silver thread. Evidence of minor moth. Beautiful quality.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

RELATED LITERATURE
Dr. Ernst Ritter von Birk, "Inventar der Niederländer Tapeten und Gobelins," Jahrbuch der kunsthistorischen Sammlungen des allerhöchsten Kaiserhauses, Vienna, 1884, vol. II, p. 183, Serie LXX: Die Neigungen des Menschens (The Inclinations of Man).

This series comprised a set of eight allegorical tapestries from the workshop of Matthijs Roelants and Joris Leemans, of which the present tapestry represents the fifth design of the series (LXX/5). A corresponding set in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna has the weaver's mark I:LIEMANS; see Heinrich Göbel, Tapestries of the Lowlands, New York, 1974, no. 336, for another weaving (War) from the Vienna set. Two others were sold Sotheby's, Florence, June 2, 1977, lot 47 (Serie LXX/8) and November 17, 1978, lot 1910 (Serie LXX/1). The border of the present tapestry is a variation on the design of the Vienna examples, especially the lower border which lacks the central cartouche and the parrots.

The designs for this series have been traditionally attributed to Antoon Sallaert, but recently inventories taken by Leemans' wife, Elisabeth Segers, give them to Lanceloot Lefebure, a largely forgotten painter working Brussels (Koenraad Brosens and Veerle de Laet, "Matthijs Roelandts, Joris Leemans and Lanceloot Lefebure: new data on Baroque tapestry in Brussels", The Burlington Magazine, vol. CLI, June 2009, p. 362).

Joris Leemans left his native Enghien in 1638 for Brussels where he set up a workshop together with Matthijs Roelants. Roelants (d. 1663) was appointed doyen in 1661 and Leemans was appointed doyen in 1665 (Guy Delmarcel, Flemish Tapestry, New York, 1999, p. 280).