Flanders, Brussels

woven with the seated classical goddess Diana and kneeling attendant tying her sandal, in a landscape setting, lacking borders, reduced in size

Overall measurements: 275cm across the top, 275cm across the bottom, 256cm along the left side, 250cm along the right side. Tapestry is lacking borders. With natural coloured linen backing with Velcro attached for hanging purposes. It has a fine mesh interlining. Recommend the lower edge of lining to be loosened as the lower edge is too light and tapestry not flat and curling. There are later repairs to the brown trunks and branches of trees, visible as surface stitching in different shades of brown, where the original dark brown has oxidised. There are some areas in lower width where dark brown has oxidised and the warps are visible, and some areas of repair to these areas, and around the edges of shapes, for example to the figures. There are some areas of distress to the light highlight areas, especially visible within the clothing, for example to material over legs of Diana and the material on legs and arms of the attendant. Areas of good original colour overall. Sky faded, which is commensurate with age and being at very top of this fragment. Very finely woven, and well executed technique. Some beautiful details overall, especially to faces and to detailing of cloth design. Despite condition and fragmentary nature, the tapestry is balanced in colour and composition and is a charming subject.
"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."

For a directly comparable tapestry of this composition, see one of the panels from the set of eight from The Story of Diana, Brussels, 17th century, in the collection of The Society of the Cincinnati, Washington. Woven in the workshop of Jacques Geubels and Jan Raes, within an exuberant gold and red frame pattern acanthus and putti scrollwork border, they have the Brussels Brabant town mark and weaver’s mark. They were commissioned by King Louis XIII of France, and purchased in 1630 by Cardinal Francesco Barberini, then serving his uncle Urban VIII as Italian legate to France. This particular set remained in the Barberini family palace in Rome until 1889, when Charles M. Ffoulke bought the Diana series and more than 130 other tapestries. Ffoulke, a Massachusetts Avenue neighbour of the Andersons, brought the tapestries to America to fill his home and those of his fellow collectors. 

The present fragment correlates directly with the panel depicting the seated Diana having her sandal tied, which is the central section of a wider tapestry composition which includes a building and further landscape to the right and a lake beside the tree on the right. The quality of weave and attention to detail is comparable.

The Story of Diana then became one of the most successful tapestry series designed by the Parisian workshop in the Faubourg Saint-Marcel in the early 17^th century. Over twenty different sets have been identified, including three made for the French crown and one each for the Spanish ambassador, Cardinal Barberini and Cardinal Richelieu. It was a prestigious series and some were woven in wool, with silk and metal-thread. Numerous workshops in the Faubourg Saint-Marcel were involved, including de la Planche and Marc Comans, and many were under the supervision of Flemish weavers. The border types varied, and they could often have the workshop marks.

Other comparable series from The Story of Diana include:

A series of six tapestries from The History of Diana, attributed to Paris, circa 1630, in elaborate frame pattern borders with scrollwork and corner and central border sculptural entablatures, Swain, Margaret, Tapestries and Textiles at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Royal Collection, 1988, pp.50-55; 
Eight tapestries from the series of Diana woven in Paris, in the workshop of Philippe de Maecht, circa 1618, in exuberant sculptural borders, recorded in Catalogo de Tapices del Patrimonio Nacional, Volumen II: Siglo XVII, Serie 43 pp. 6-14;
Five pieces, Paris workshop, Faubourg Saint Marcel, 1625-1630, after Toussaint Dubreuil, Lisses et delices: Chefs-d’oeuvre de la tapisserie de Henry IV a Louis XIV, Caisse Nationale des monuments historiques et des sites, 1996, pp.124-141, and reference to others by this maker in other international museum collections;
For a weaving of The Death of Orion, from The Story of Diana, Paris, circa 1625, workshop of Hans Taye, after a design attributed to Toussant Dubreuil, with another border type, attributed to Laurent Guyot, including large figures, hunting trophies and dogs, see Wildenstein Collections, Christie’s, London, 14 December 2005, lot 77.

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