A Flemish Mythological Tapestry, probably Antwerp for the English Export Market second quarter 18th century

possibly from 'The Story of Rinaldo and Armida', depicting the arrival on the enchanted isle, woven with a woven with a barge with seated male and female figure under a red umbrella, with a black boy guiding the barge towards the shore, where they are greeted by a female figure with an armful of fruit and a small spaniel, all figures in contemporary 18^th century dress, set with formal landscaped gardens, and the right of the composition with a château and fountain with dolphin supports, and exuberant flowering foreground plants, with a female figure standing in the background near the fountain, woven within a red and gold narrow bead-and-reel border, with walnut brown outer selvedge; with a central repaired vertical old fold line

This tapestry has been professionally restored and relined in the past. It has a linen lining, attached at edges with herringbone tape. There are old hoops at the top. It is recommended that Velcro should be attached for hanging purposes in the future. The borders are integral to the tapestry. There is a vertical repaired join down the centre of the tapestry, visible on close inspection, and within the composition to the right of the main tree trunk, and the composition does not match up exactly. There are some splits and repairs, and small areas or reweaving. See for example there are minor horizontal splits and weakness in the sky and within the fountain. There are some minor repairs of repair to silk highlights, for example within the clothing. There is some minor oxidisation to the browns, commensurate with age and colour of dye. Despite the vertical join (well executed), the scale of the composition and size of the tapestry make it appealing. This tapestry is generally in good and stable condition. Attractive border. There are some charming details and it has been finely woven. Evocative tapestry from specific period in European tapestry weaving.
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The narrative depicted in the tapestries could possibly be from The Story of Rinaldo and Armida, depicting scenes of the abduction of the sleeping Rinaldo in Armida's chariot, the couple having a banquet under the trees, the arrival on (or departure from) the enchanted isle.  The story was taken from the Italian epic poem by Torquato Tasso (1544-1595), Gerusalemme Liberata (Jerusalem Delivered), 1581, which was an idealised account of the first Crusade. The subject of the lovers story, using mythological and historical characters, of love, their dalliance on the enchanted island, and their final parting (Cantos XIV-XVI), was widely popular with Italian and French artists in the 17th & 18th centuries, and is found depicted in tapestries woven by the French and Flemish tapestry workshops. At this period of late 17th/early 18th century tapestry weaving, the English workshops, largely unidentified and without certain attribution being possible, used Flemish weaver's and trained English weavers. Tapestries predominantly taken from literary subjects, and particularly Ovid, often have interchangeable groupings and compositions with regard to identification, and can not always be attributed to a particular story.  

The tapestry offered, with the composition including the barge, is published under English tapestries, in H. Göbel, Die Wandteppiche, 1934, Part III, Vol.ii, p.187 & pl. no. 152, as 'Rinaldo and Armida'. Boating Party, London, Soho, 1725, by permission of Misses Ffolliott. Another version of this composition with some variations in details such as the size and orientation of the small dog, and there being more to the composition along the lower edge, to include more plants and tree stump was sold Sotheby’s, London, 21 October 1960, lot 103. It was catalogued then as Mortlake. The difference is that the border is a wide exuberant foliate and fruit filled border, incorporating vases and shell work and small dogs in the centre of both horizontal borders, which are in the style of Brussels 17th century borders. It is therefore more than possible that the composition was taken up and produced for the Export market in Brussels, rather than being a London Soho production. A classical early 18th century tapestry, with a standing male and female of similar facial type to those of lot 234 in the present sale, was offered a Dreweatt Neate, Newbury, 30th January 2002, lot 596, (previously Christie's, 6th May 1937, lot 130) and was later recognised as being an Antwerp weaving for the English export market. It had the same narrow bead-and-real border and exuberant flowering foreground plants and formal gardens and topiary. The subject depicted in the cited 'genre' scene cannot be attributed definitely to a particular mythological story. For an example of a English version from a Flemish, Brussels weaving of a seasons tapestry, within the same Flemish border type of flowers and scrollwork, as depicted in the Rinaldo and Armida tapestry cited above from Göbel, see Guy Delmarcel, Nicole de Reyniès & Wendy Hefford, The Toms Collection Tapestries – 16th to 19th centuries, Ed. Giselle Eberhard Cotton, Foundation Toms Pauli, Lausanne, Verlag Niggli AG, Zurich, 2010, Chp. I: The English Tapestries, Wendy Hefford, pp.239-293, Cat. no. 83, English tapestry of 'December', from series of occupations of the months, London, 1695-1710, after Flemish, Brussels, tapestry of 'May/April', 1680-1700, with the wide border incorporating small dogs in centre of horizontal borders.

See lots 146 and 147 in this sale for other tapestries from the same set.