Woven Art: A Private Collection of Tapestries and Carpets

Sale 6447

Live

| Chicago

Oct 30 | 10:00 AM CDT

Live

| Chicago

Lot 33

A Bruges Allegorical Tapestry from the Series The Seven Liberal Arts

Lot 33

A Bruges Allegorical Tapestry from the Series The Seven Liberal Arts

Status:

Closed

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000

Estimate$40,000 – $60,000

Status

Closed

A Bruges Allegorical Tapestry from the Series The Seven Liberal Arts

Attributed to Carlos Janssen, after the design by Cornelis Schut, Third Quarter 17th Century

woven in wool and silk, depicting ‘The Apotheosis of the Seven Liberal Arts’, with allegories of all seven arts united, including the female figure representing Astronomy reclining in the foreground with a celestial globe, a maiden seated at a piano accompanied by a flute-playing putto representing Music, beyond as allegories of Dialectic figures teaching children to read and write, and to the upper right the standing figure of Mercury gesturing as if about to give a speech, representing Rhetoric, all in an architectural setting evoking a temple of knowledge with a triumphal arch for the arts, within elaborate scrolling borders with putti and flower-filled vases, centered at the top with a scrollwork cartouche bearing the Latin inscription ‘ARTES DEPRIMIT BELLVM AQVIBVS SVSTINETVR’.
12 feet 2 inches x 17 feet.

Property from a Private Family Trust

This lot is located in Chicago.

Provenance:

Private Collection

Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2008

Note:

This intriguing tapestry is part of a series of eight panels depicting The Seven Liberal Arts. The Liberal Arts were a pillar of classical education and the series accordingly consisted of tapestries depicting: Grammar, Dialectic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy. The present, eighth tapestry formed the Apotheosis, combining the seven Liberal Arts. The panel bears the motto ‘Artes deprimit Bellum a quibus sustinetur’, meaning ‘war is supported while also being oppressed by the arts’, thereby proclaiming that wisdom and the arts bring peace, order and prosperity.

The basis for attribution to the Antwerp artist Cornelis Schut (1597-1655), a pupil of Peter Paul Rubens, is a series of eight signed etchings depicting the compositions of the tapestries, as well as the painted cartoons surviving for the three panels depicting Music, Astrology and Geometry, preserved in the collection of the Rubens House Museum. A complete set of the tapestries is at the Gruuthusemuseum in Bruges, Belgium (see Guy Delmarcel, Flemish Tapestry, Tiel & London, 1999, pp. 299-303)

Overall attractive and professionally conserved. Colors are somewhat faded to blues, greens, reds, and orangey-pinks. Scattered repairs for stability. With linen backing and velcro for hanging. Additional images are available

The physical condition of lots in our auctions can vary due to age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and restoration/repair. All lots are sold "AS IS," in the condition they are in at the time of the auction, and we and the seller make no representation or warranty and assume no liability of any kind as to a lot's condition. Any reference to condition in a catalogue description or a condition report shall not amount to a full accounting of condition. Condition reports prepared by Freeman's staff are provided as a convenience and may be requested from the Department prior to bidding.

The absence of a posted condition report on the Freeman's website or in our catalogues should not be interpreted as commentary on an item's condition. Prospective buyers are responsible for inspecting a lot or sending their agent or conservator to inspect the lot on their behalf, and for ensuring that they have requested, received and understood any condition report provided by Freeman's.

Please email europeanfurniture@hindmanauctions.com for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Corbin Horn

Vice President, Head of Department, European Furniture & Decorative Arts

corbinhorn@freemansauction.com 312.334.4214

Mr. Horn joined the firm in 2009 and has directed numerous sales of important collections, including those of Lilly Pulitzer, Lord Anthony and Lady Jacobs, Lars Bolander, Casa de Sueños in Miami Beach, and Villa Massei in Lucca, Italy. He has also achieved record results for consignments from prominent institutions, including the Toledo Museum of Art, the High Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Minnesota Historical Society. Mr. Horn is a member of the Antiquarian Society of the Art Institute of Chicago and is an alumnus of the Attingham Trust.

Alison Lynch

Associate Specialist, European Furniture & Decorative Arts

alisonlynch@freemansauction.com 312.801.5462

Woven Art: A Private Collection of Tapestries and Carpets

A Bruges Allegorical Tapestry from the Series The Seven Liberal Arts

Lot Description

Condition Report

Preview

Auction Contact

Shipping | Pickup