A Brussels Old Testament Tapestry from The Story of Moses

Woven under the direction of Jasper van der Borcht, after a design by Jan van Orley, Second Quarter 18th Century

woven in wool and silk, depicting in the center the figure of Moses Striking the Rock and bringing fresh water, in the foreground the Israelites catching the miraculous spring in bowls and buckets, within a scrolling acanthus and laurel simulated picture frame border, the outer slip with the Brussels town mark and the weaver’s signature ‘I.V.D. BORCHT.”
11 feet 8 1/2 inches x 20 feet 11 inches.

Property from a Private Family Trust

This lot is located in Chicago.

Provenance:

Private Collection

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2009

Note:

The Biblical scene depicted in this magnificent panel, “Moses Striking the Rock”, is taken from Exodus 17:1-7. Moses is seen standing on a rock in a rugged landscape, attended by Aaron who witnessed the miracle. Depicted in the foreground are the Israelite people, scrambling with bowls and jugs to catch the gushing water.

The Story of Moses, consisting of eight panels, was designed by Jan van Orley (died 1735) and Aurèle-Augustin Coppens (died 1740) around 1730. It is believed that the first edition was made for Archduchess Marie-Elisabeth, governor of the Netherlands, shortly after 1732. Van Orley’s authorship was already confirmed in G.P. Mensaert’s 1763 publication, Le peintre amateur et curieux, in which he recorded that the artist had supplied several design patterns to the prince-elector of Cologne, Monseigneur van Susteren and the bishop of Bruges, including for “The Miracles of Moses."

A magnificent set, including the panel presented here, was delivered in 1737 by the Brussels weaver Jasper van der Borcht for the Princes’ Chamber at the town hall of Maastricht, where it still hangs. Also still in its original setting is an edition of five panels from this series, which was made by Jasper and Jan-Frans van der Borcht between 1737 and 1738 for Brussels town hall. A set of six tapestries, originally woven for Johann van Wespien of Aachen, is now in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg.

A Brussels Old Testament Tapestry from The Story of Moses

A Brussels Old Testament Tapestry from The Story of Moses