Lot 15
  • 15

'The Concert' - (The Harpist), An English `Indo-Chinese' Tapestry, London, Soho, workshop of John Vanderbank, circa 1700-1710

Estimate
50,000 - 80,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • wool, tapestry technique
  • approximately 231cm. high, 323cm. wide; 7ft. 7in., 10ft. 7in.
woven with 'chinoiserie' designs inspired by Chinese and Indian sources and the exotic figures including a harpist and figure climbing  tree, with several small pavilions with carpets, all placed on small islands with palm trees, exotic flowering plants and birds, against a brown ground, within a four-sided scrolling leaf and stem border

Provenance

Sotheby's, Monaco, 25th June 1984, lot 3243

Literature

Comparative Literature

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, pp.238-293.
Heinrich Göbel, Die Wandteppiche, 1934, Part III, Vol.ii, nos.149, 150a & b.
H. C. Marillier, English Tapestries of the Eighteenth Century, London, Medici Society, 1930, pg. 33, pl.13 & 14.
Edith Appleton Standen, European Post-Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum, 1985, Vol. II, pp. 717-725 for discussion on two English tapestries of similar theme, depicting the `Concert' and `The Toilet of the Princess', and attributed to John Vanderbank and woven at the Great Wardrobe between 1690-1715.  Standen discusses the source of some of the figures, in `English Tapestries After the Indian Manner', The Metropolitan Museum Journal, 1981, pp.119-142, which illustrates the Elihu Yale Tapestries, now in the Yale University Art Gallery, (Provenance: The Yale Tapestries, The Property of the Right. Hon. The Earl of Guilford, Sotheby's, London, 18th July 1924).
Amelia Peck, Editor, Interwoven Globe, The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500 - 1800, London, 2013, pp.104-, Cat. No.85, pp.245-246, The Toilet of the Princess, attributed to John Vanderbank, from the Metropolitan Museum, New York.

Condition

Overall measurements: 323cm across the top, 318cm across the bottom, 230cm along left side, 231cm along right side Tapestry is lined with linen and has linen tabs across the top edge. Recommend Velcro should be attached across top edge for hanging purposes in the future. The right hand side border is later, and slightly narrower in width. The brown ground is largely original, but has areas of repair overall, visible on closer inspection. This is commensurate with age and the dye used, as browns oxidise. Overall the ground is in stable and good condition. The light areas of highlight have some weakness, commensurate with colour and age. There are small areas of rewoven repair in areas. This tapestry has been professionally restored in the past, and is in good and stable condition. It has balanced colour and composition. This is a tapestry from a particularly evocative series woven in English workshops. It is a charming subject and design, of a 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."

Catalogue Note

Individual motifs and groupings on the tapestries are considered to have been inspired by lacquer panels imported from Japan and China and from the Asian and Chinese porcelain. The distinctive inclusion of carpets, show the influences of the trade and appeal of Persian and Indian textiles as the time. The combinations of motifs are from a variety of sources, including the works of European travellers, such as Melchior Lorck (Danish) and Arnold Montanus (Dutch). The designer of the tapestries attributed to the Vanderbank workshop have not been discovered to date, although up to fifty variations of these compositions are recorded, a testament to their popularity, and to being a very distinctive and evocative design.