拍品 179
  • 179

A FLEMISH 'LARGE LEAF' VERDURE TAPESTRY, ENGHIEN, MID-16TH CENTURY AND LATER |

估價
7,000 - 10,000 GBP
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描述

  • approximately 318cm high, 311cm wide; 10ft. 5in., 10ft. 2in.
woven with a balustrade on which birds are balancing, against a background of exuberant large leaves, and foreground with fruiting plants and a centrally placed delicately stemmed flowering plant, with side borders including iris leaves, vases and fruit, with later four-sided outer selvedge; reduced in size

Condition

Overall measurements: 317cm across the top, 318cm across the bottom, 310cm along left side, 311cm along right side Partially lined, around the four edges with old linen. There are sections not lined and therefore the tapestry on the reverse is visible and the colours are very vibrant. However on the front the colours are very faded colour overall, commensurate with age, but it is even overall. Tapestry is comprised of composite of sections of a once larger tapestry, with sections pieced together and including later reweaving and repairs in sections. There are rewoven sections and repairs to all the edges, and the outer selvedge is later. There are some beautifully woven details. There are twenty-two textile hoops attached to the top edge for hanging previously on a pole. It is recommended that the tapestry should be lined and Velcro added for hanging purposes in the future. Decorative tapestry in stable condition. Good size.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

拍品資料及來源

Large-Leaf Tapestries, with the distinctive ground of exuberant acanthus leaves, interspersed with delicate trails and incorporating various birds, were woven around the last quarter of the sixteenth century, in several weaving centres, including Grammont (Geraardsbergen), Bruges, Enghien and Oudenaarde. They varied in size, and balustrades are a frequent motif along with the very distinctive border type with vases and fabulous fruit and gourds. For a very similar tapestry design, of wider proportions, circa 1550-1560, with the Oudenaarde town mark, in the Art Institute of Chicago (Inv. 1926.762, approximately 268 by 457cm), see de Meuter, Ingrid, Tapisseries d’Audenarde du XVI au XVIII Siècle, 1999, p.126, fig.2

For a comparable tapestry at auction, Enghien or Grammont, circa 1550-1560, with a similar balustrade curving from the front foreground up to the sides and supporting a bird and the unusual two small figures, flanking the same central plant, see Sotheby’s, London, A Tale of Two Cities: Venice and Dresden Two Private Collections, 9 June, 2015, lot 136 (approximately 344 by 395cm). Another similar tapestry, of only the right hand side, with half the central plant visible on the left side of the composition, see Sotheby's, New York, 12th December 1993, lot 252 and similar tapestry, Drouot-Richelieu, Piasa, Paris, 2 December 2004, lot 238.

Comparable Literature

Bennett, Anna, Five Centuries of Tapestry, The Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, 1992, pp.134-135, cat.no.34, for a Large-Leaf Verdure, Flemish, possibly Grammont, 1550-1560. Cavallo, Adolph, Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993, pp.600-607, No.52, a&b, for two Thickets with large-leaves, flowers, animals, and architectural balustrades. Delmarcel, Guy, Flemish Tapestries, London, 1999, pp.191-194, for discussion of Oudenaarde tapestries including large leaf verdures, & p.191, for the similar large leaf tapestry from The Art Institute of Chicago.  Delmcarcel, Guy, Tapisseries Anciennes d’Enghien, Mons, 1980, pp.26-49, including  verdures with birds, of finer weave, with the Enghien mark. Hartkamp-Jonxis, Ebeltje and Smith, Hillie, European Tapestries in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 2004, pp.83-84, cat.23, for a Giant-Leaf Verdure with birds and snails, Southern Netherlands, circa 1550-1575. Meuter, de, Ingrid, Tapisseries d’Audenarde du XVI au XVIII Siècle, 1999, Relevé des Thèmes iconographiques, p.126, figs.2&3, for comparable tapestries.