A FLEMISH LARGE LEAF WILD PARK TAPESTRY, PROBABLY OUDENAARDE, CIRCA 1560-1600 |

woven with a lion, lioness, monkey and horse within exuberant large leaf plants within a landscape setting, within a four-sided fruiting and foliate border with allegorical figures in the lower corners of the border

A Tale of Two Cities: Venice and Dresden, Two Private Collections, sold Sotheby's, London, 9 June 2015, lot 123

Related literature
Guy Delmarcel, Flemish Tapestries, London, 1999, pp.188-194
Ingrid de Meuter, Tapisseries d'Audenarde du XVI au XVIII Siècle, 1999, Relevé des Thèmes iconographiques, pp.131- 147
Edwige Six, Les Routes de la Tapisserie en Val de Loire, Paris, 1996, pp.12-20

The photograph is quite accurate. Colours are evenly faded overall. Attractive, natural and balanced colour palette across the tapestry. The browns have oxidised in areas (which is commensurate with the colour of dye used) and have been replaced in areas, for example around edges as highlights, to the trunks of some trees, for example top left of tapestry, and are faded in areas, for example to the fur of the monkey in the lower right corner and also the horse on the right of the composition. There is a stripe of later repair (now terracotta colour) across the back of the lion, which may have been a light highlight originally. This repair is noticeable on close inspection. There are repairs to some of the light cream coloured highlights, for example leaves of exuberant plants in foreground, which is commensurate with age and colours used. There are some areas of repaired reweaving. The outer blue selvedges have been replaced and some are later, for example the right side selvedge is new. This tapestry is in very good and stable restored condition. It is very striking and balanced in both colour and composition, with some charming details.
"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."

Wild Park Tapestries are very evocative of Flemish weaving manufacture, especially from the city of Oudenaarde, dating from the mid 16^th century through to 1600. They are often wide weavings which are an extension of the landscapes beyond the walls on which they were hanging, only they often included very exotic animals within the more familiar acanthus plants and oak tree woodland glades. Amongst this genre of tapestries, there were some that incorporated distinctive architectural surrounds and columns within the design, and some became Game Park Tapestries, when there were figures included. For a particularly wonderful Wild Park Tapestry, circa 1560, Oudenaarde, notable for the inclusion amongst the animals of the Rhinoceros after Dürer, see Sotheby’s, London, The Vigo-Sternberg Collection of European Tapestries, 29^th February 1996, lot 14. Having been woven around 1560, tapestries woven in the next four decades followed the theme of extraordinary animals and birds within more recognisable forest settings.

Another similar piece is a Flemish Wild Park Tapestry, with the Battle of Lapythites and Centaurs (Ovid’s Metamorphoses), Oudenaarde, circa 1600, (approximately 310cm. high, 520cm. wide), Sotheby’s, London, 1^st November 2005, lot 64, which is similar in format and design, with forest in the foreground and distant hills in the background, and also similar in concept using trees to break the frame. This tapestry has the same distinctive wide, fruiting and foliate border and narrow outer border, although the present tapestry has the additional allegorical figures in the corners.

For other comparable auction pieces, within different border types, see two similar tapestries which were sold at Sotheby's, London, 20th May 1994. Lot 12, was a very distinctive and important Wild Park Tapestry, Oudeanaarde, circa 1550, by Jacob Benne, with the Oudenaarde town mark and weaver’s mark, (approximately 295cm. high, 505cm. wide) and is similar in size, concept and design, although it included more architectural motifs and figures within the main design, and was in a border with more allegorical figures. Lot 17, A Game Park, Oudenaarde, circa 1600, has the characteristic foreground of wild animals, which in this weaving is centred by a lion attacking a stag, and the background reveals a river and boat, and is flanked by equestrian figures and hounds to one side and further equestrian figures, and two lions, one of which is attacking a centaur with sword and shield, the border type however being of a different style with compartments and more figures.

For a very similar tapestry in concept and design, circa 1550-1570, of narrower dimensions (approximately 348cm. high, 260cm. wide), woven with a deer and stag in the foreground and similar style of landscape with further prancing deer in the background, and with the same border type including the unusual pair of allegorical figures in the lower corners, see I. De Meuter, Tapisseries d’Audenarde du XVI au XVIII Siècle, 1999, Relevé des Thèmes iconographiques, p.131, from the Collection French & Company, New York, courtesy of the Getty Research Institute Photo Study Collection, Los Angeles (French & Co Archive).