A Flemish 'millefleurs' and animal tapestry panel, possibly Tournai 16th century, and later

It is a particularly striking and appealing subject and since the Middle Ages the use of flowers in various forms have had both symbolic and decorative appeal. Even when underfoot or in the background of large tapestries with classical and biblical narratives the flowers play an important part and have always been depicted as naturalistically as possible. The present panel follows in the tradition of Flemish and French tapestries of the 15th and 16th century, and the border is a type found on many of the extant large narrative and series of tapestries of classical and Biblical scenes, from Flemish workshops, found in the collections of European Decorative Arts, in many International museums.

Verdure and millefleurs tapestries have been used as wall to wall decoration, small panels and decorative accessories. The Romans decorated their villas with wall paintings of flowers and the appeal continued, through the Medieval and Renaissance periods. For depiction of woven tapestries, there is an example of a Flemish tapestry fragment (337 by 325cm: from a later tapestry), probably Tournai, circa 1475-1485, which shows a compartmentalised narrative section with the scene of a banquet clearly showing a millefleurs tapestry in the background, with the plants seen across the panel against a dark ground, see Minneapolis Institute of Art (Inv. 16.271). 

For discussion of verdure and millefleurs, and fragmentary comparables see Monique Blanc, Tapisseries du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance, Collection du Musée Décoratifs, 2019, pp.164-183, no. 73, flowers, birds and animals, Southern Netherlands, end of 15th/beginning of 16th century (Inv. 10791), which has similar flowers to the present panel; no.79, millefleurs against blue ground, showing large flowering plants next to each other across the field, possibly Enghien, early 16th century (Inv. 6193. 

There are a range of tapestry panels of the generic subject, which include various flowers, flowering plants and the inclusion of animals. For comprehensive discussion of the range in this group, see Elizabeth Cleland and Lorraine Karafel, Tapestries from the Burrell Collection, Glasgow Museums, Philip Wilson, London, 2017, Part II: Southern Netherlands and French, pp.227-626, Verdures, pp.279-327, Nos. 65 & 66 for Tournai weavings, of the distinctive boldness of design.