An Italian Marriage Armorial tapestry, Florence, with the Medici-coat-of-arms, Ferdinand I, Grand-Duke of Tuscany and Christine of Lorraine, workshops of Guasparri di Bartolommeo Papini, after design by Alessandro Allori, circa 1589

woven with the Medici coat of arms within a sculptural cartouche, surmounted by a crowned head, with the allegorical figure of Florence wearing the grand-ducal crown surmounted by a fleur-de-lys and holding a sceptre, his robe with the fleurs de lys for Lorraine and the Medici palle, beneath an ermine cloak, with a recumbent lion in the foreground, the other figure on the right, representing Siena seated beside a wolf, all against an blue sky, within a four-sided sculptural border with cartouches enclosing symbolic laurel and other fruiting saplings, the top corner with plumed masks wearing beaded necklaces, with original brown selvedge tucked in at both sides

Sotheby's, London, 29 November 1985, lot 13
The Cyril Humphris Collection, Sotheby's, New York, 10 January 1995, lot 13
Christie's, London, 11 November 2004, lot 41

Archivio di Stato di Firenze, Guararoba Medicea 213, Ricordi e copplialettere dell'Arazzeria riscritta di Mandatti e Conti, 1598-1623, c.17d
Palazzo Vecchio Committenze e Collezionismo Medici', Firenze e la Toscana dei Medici nell'Europa dell Cinquecento, p.93.

Comparative Literature

H. Göbel, Die Wandteppiche, 1928, Part II, Vol.i, abb.383 and Vol.II, abb.381-386, for other Medici armorial portieres, and abb.392, for a similar sculptural border on a tapestry attributed to the Papini workshop.

Overall measurements: 177cm across the top, 175cm across the bottom, 265cm along left side, 263cm along right side Tapestry has linen lining (loose in section in lower left corner, and top right right side, which needs reattaching. Velcro attached to strip of material and attached across the top edge, and both Velcro and support and loose in top right corner and need attaching. Original brown selvedge tucked under on both sides, and tapestry tucked under along upper and lower edge, not cut. Some small repairs in areas, and some to old moth holes visible in top right corner of the sky, and another example being small repairs to the flowerhead in lower right cartouche. Some oxidisation to the brown highlights, commensurate with dye used. Some warps showing in these areas, for example above shield on lap of figure on the left, and in the top left corner of the border, to the right of the corner cartouche, and to the edge of sleeve of figure on the right. There are some areas of professional reweaving to the browns above the head of the boar on the right, to the drapery, and to the green shadow near the foot and edge of robe in the lower right corner. Good colours overall and clean. Attractive allegorical tapestry in good overall condition. This tapestry is in good professional restored and cleaned condition.
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All the Medici armorial portieres illustrated by Göbel show the arms of the reigning grand-duke quartered with those of his consort. The present example shows the Medici arms alone with the fleurs-de-lys only on the robe of one of the supporters. This suggests that the portiere was commissioned in anticipation of the forthcoming marriage. Ferdinand I, third grand-duke of Tuscany (b.1549), fourth son of Cosimo I by his wife Eleonora de Toledo. At the age of fourteen he was created a cardinal by Pope IV and subsequently resided in Rome until succeeding his brother Francesco I as grand-duke in 1587. During his sojourn in Rome he founded the Villa Medici and acquired many notable works of art including the Niobe group which he took back to Florence. After his accession he retained the cardinal's purple until his marriage in 1589 to Christine of Lorraine, daughter of duke Charles of Lorraine by his wife Claude of France, daughter of Henri II and Catherine de Medici. Grand-duke Ferdinand died in 1609 and was succeeded by his son Cosimo II. These 1589 festivities for the marriage were perhaps the most magnificent of the sixteenth century.