Late 18th-Early 19th Century Handwoven Hunt Tapestry from Brussels

$26,000

About

Hang this exceptional, important handwoven tapestry from Belgium in a living room or a staircase. The colorful “Chasse a Courre” tapestry (chasing, hunting with hounds), was created in Belgium, circa 1800. The antique “tapisserie de Bruxelles” features an outdoor hunting scene with hunters in ceremonial clothing along with horses, a dog pack and deer. The scene is embellished in the background with tree and foliage decor. In the foreground, four horsemen in Classic, Baroque Louis XV uniforms carry hunting horns around their necks and try to contain a pack of hounds ready for action. In the background, running horses and dogs are chasing a deer in front of them. The fine tapestry is in excellent condition with vibrant colors throughout and its original border. The piece also has a canvas backing for stability, and would make a lively, rustic addition to a large wall in your home or ranch. Brussels tapestry workshops produced tapestry from at least the 15th century, but the city’s early production in the Late Gothic International style was eclipsed by the more prominent tapestry-weaving workshops based in Arras and Tournai. When Louis XIV minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert organized the royal manufactory of the Gobelins, an early suite was The Acts of the Apostles first woven at Brussels. The Brussels workshops soon fell under the influence of French design originating from the royally supported Gobelins, to the extent that the story of Alexander suite, a thinly disguised allegory trumpeting the ascendancy of Louis XIV, were woven also at Brussels, among other places. Brussels received an influx of highly trained workers when the Gobelins was temporarily closed in 1694 and the weavers ordered to disperse, under the financial stringency of Louis XIV wars. The 18th century saw the increased competition of the French workshops, both royal and private. Weavers like Le Clerc, Leyniers, van den Hecke and de Vos maintained quality, but the last of the traditional Brussels tapestry ateliers closed at the time of the French Revolution, by which time tapestry was finally becoming less popular; Goya’s designs for the royal factory in Spain were perhaps the last major works in the medium. Measures: 127.5″ W x 100″ H.

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