A SWISS TAPESTRY DEPICTING THE STORY OF SAMSON AND DELILAH Circa 1510-1520, Basel

inscribed: Was mag das beste und d(a)s aller boste sin  Das ist ein wib das kein man Ein guttes wib fol loben kan  Ein gutes Weib wohl loben kann, within later gilt wood frame. 

Leopold Iklé, St. Gallen, Switzerland
L. Bernheim, Munich, August 1930

Betty Kurth, Die Deutschen Bildteppichen des Mittelalters, Vienna, 1926, vol. I, p. 217, vol. II, pl. 50
Heinrich Göbel, Wandteppiche, part III, vol. I, Berlin, 1933, pl. 36 illus. 
Anna Rapp Buri and M. Stucky-Schürer, Zahm und Wild. Basler und Straßburger. Bildteppiche des 15. Jahrhunderts, exh. cat., Mainz am Rhein, 1990, pp. 288-289, no. 84, illus.

Reduced restorations throughout including small patches of reweaving, upper right corner and blue ground above scroll in center panel. Some fading. Lovely quality and design.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

An entry and an illustration for the present weaving was included in the important 1990 catalogue for the Basel exhibition of Gothic and Renaissance tapestries from the Upper Rhine, although the authors of the catalogue were unaware of the location of the piece. This composition is characteristic of the region, charming and primitive in style yet incorporating expressive figures which inhabit a decorative ground and landscape. Germany and Switzerland produced weavings with bold colors and stylized designs which attracted a great many patrons, many of whom required that their coats of arms were woven into the panels. The owner of the pair of armorials on the present tapestry has not yet been determined.

The Caramoor Samson and Delilah tapestry is typical of later designs from the Basel workshop, much like the Annunciation tapestry in The Burrell Collection, Glasgow (Rapp Buri et. al., op.cit., no. 83). The Old Testament subject of Samson and Delilah was a traditional scene used to demonstrate the power and cunning of women.

Samson, the Old Testament Judge, was generally depicted in art as a womanizer and an adventurer of great physical strength. When Samson took Delilah, a Philistine woman, for a lover, the Philistines saw their chance to defeat him. They bribed Delilah to persuade Samson to reveal the source of his strength. After multiple attempts, she succeeded and he confessed that his strength lay in his hair which had not been cut since birth. Delilah then lulled Samson to sleep and cut off his locks, rendering him helpless and weak.