The Platonic Academy, A Narrative tapestry from the Story of Diogenes, London, Mortlake workshop, after Salvator Rosa (1615-1673) 1660-1680, England

Sotheby's, London, Important English Furniture, 30th June 2004, lot 35;

where acquired by the present owner.

The Diogenes series of tapestries which was almost exclusively of English origin was originally designed at the Mortlake workshop in the 1662-1692 and copied later by Soho workshops. This unusual, moralising subject from the life of the philosopher and cynic Diogenes who renounced his possessions, was popular based on the recorded weavings. The full series contained seven subjects and the probable inspiration for the Diogenes tapestries was 'The Lives of the Philosophers' by Diogenes Laertius published in English in 1688. The subjects included 'The meeting of Alexander and Diogenes', `Diogenes meditating', 'Diogenes washing herbs in a stream', 'Diogenes writing on a lintel', 'Diogenes beside his barrel', 'Diogenes discarding his bowl', and 'Academy of Plato'.

In the four Diogenes tapestries of Alexander, Plato, Diogenes meditating and Diogenes discarding his Bowl, all groups of figures and the inscriptions in the upper borders are predominantly copied from four etchings of 1662 by Salvator Rosa, though with the name of Diogenes substituting that of Democritus. Rosa’s etchings of Democritus/Diogenes are based on his paintings of the early 1650's now in the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen. Figures in other subjects of the series echo postures found in Rosa’s work or imitate his style. As the widest pieces in the series contain fine landscapes, the creator of these designs were possibly Prosper Henricus Lankrink (d. 1692), who came to England in the 1660's and was noted both for having studied Rosa’s work and for landscape. The designer of the tapestries could have been a follower of Rosa working in England, and with Italianate influence used in the landscape design, and the weavers possibly members of the Ro(u)sett family, that were associated with Mortlake and the Great Wardrobe, see Wendy Hefford, 'The Diogenes Tapestries’, CIETA Bulletin, 1984, pp.67-79.

A set of six Diogenes panels purchased for Charles II, in London in 1683, now in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, was woven within the acanthus leaf border, and includes a weaving of 'Diogenes washing herbs in a stream, visited by Plato', which bears a Mortlake mark of the St George Cross in the selvedge, discussed and illustrated in Margaret Swain, Tapestries and Textiles: Palace of Holyroodhouse, HMSO for the Royal Collection, 1988, pp.12-16. A fragment of a border, considered to be from a weaving of 'Diogenes discarding his bowl' has the English shield flanked by initials I (for J) and R, and in addition to the crowned IR for Jacobus Rex, a monogram of the initials I and R, or P or B have been discovered.

Marillier, H. C., English Tapestries of the Eighteenth Century, pp.39-40 discusses the series and notes sets of the tapestry series at Easton Neston, Weald Hall, Raby Castle, Belton House, Dyrham Park, Holyrood House and Dunrobin Castle, of which none of the sets comprises more than six tapestries and some only have two or three, of the full series of seven tapestries, which is recorded in the Marillier subject catalogue. Alexander and Diogenes is one of two Diogenes tapestries at Dyrham Park, the other being The School of Plato, and both are in a sandstone border, with a concealed shield mark of late Mortlake (or Soho). The Dryham Park set appears to be the earliest extant documented series. In an inventory of 1703, two pieces of Diogenes hangings were recorded, in the Anteroom (now the Diogenes room).

Of the various border designs, those of the acanthus scroll border and flowers or the alternative design of side borders with hollowed out pillars resembling sandstone and swathed in flowers, all with Latin inscriptions within border cartouches, appear on early and late weavings. The acanthus border is considered to be the earlier border, and is the border design of the present weaving. The conception of the stonework entwined with flowers is akin to those on borders of tapestries of Hero and Leander, from Hardwick Hall and the Lady Lever Art Gallery. There is also evidence of a border, which incorporated birds and porcelain vases, and other floral examples. As well as the sets at Easton Neston (3, see Sotheby’s, London, 28 April 2016, lot 233-235), Weald Hall (2), Raby Castle (3) and Dyrham Park (6), with the ‘sandstone’ border, there was in addition a set of five with the `sandstone’ border were auctioned in 1926, from the property of Major W.G. Lambarde, Bradbourne Hill, Sevenoaks, Kent, and the occasional panel which has come up for auction in preceeding years.

Further Reading

Wendy Hefford, The Diogenes Tapestries and the Stamford Legend, CIETA Bulletin (Bulletin de Liaison du Centre International des Textiles anciens) No.59-60, 1984 (1985), pp.67-69.

Guy Delmarcel, Nicole de Reyniès & Wendy Hefford, The Toms Collection Tapestries– 16th to 19th centuries, Ed. Giselle Eberhard Cotton, Foundation Toms Pauli, Lausanne, Verlag Niggli AG, Zurich, 2010, Chp. IV: The English Tapestries, Wendy Hefford, Tapestries from the series The Story of Diogenes, Cat.75-77, pp.239-248, for three Diogenes tapestries, all from unidentified English workshops, from different series, and within variants of narrow border designs; including 'Diogenes meditating' and 'Diogenes washing plants', circa 1685-1715, and 'Diogenes discarding his bowl', of uncertain date.

H. C. Marillier, English Tapestries of the Eighteenth Century, London, 1930, p.39: `Diogenes’, listing six subjects of this series including no.6, there called `The School of Plato – a group standing by a square stone pedestal).

Margaret Swain, Tapestries and Textiles: Palace of Holyroodhouse, HMSO for the Royal Collection, 1988, pp.12-16; for set of six tapestries, within acanthus leaf border, from the set of six purchased for Charles II, in London in 1683, now in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, one with the St George mark, and lining with initials IR beneath a crown for Jacobus Rex, and during conservation in 1990, a damaged mark was discovered, in the form of a monogram of initials I and R, or P or B, which could stand for tapestry maker or supplier JR (possible member of Ro(u)sset family at Mortlake, or John Ridges, and upholsterer active in 1670-1680.

Horace Walpole, A description of Easton Neston in Northamptonshire, the seat of the Right Honourable the Earl of Pomfret, etc., published London, 1758, in addition to the Catalogue of the Curious Collection of Pictures of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, written by Brian Fairfax (d.1711) `and never before published’, pg.60. Drawing Room: The Story of Diogenes and Alexander. Tapestry hangings. Little Bed-chamber first: Hangings tapestry, the Story of Alexander and Diogenes.