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30 - cabbage-leaf" tapestry from the second half of the 16th cent…
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Estimate €20,000 - €30,000
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Description
cabbage-leaf" tapestry from the second half of the 16th century, probably made in the workshops of la marche In wool and silk, depicting an elephant, a deer attacked by a feline, chimeras and birds in a luxuriant forest, an architectural landscape in the background, the border probably decorated with a frieze of foliage, bouquets of flowers au naturel and rabbits. Dimensions: 265 x 318 cm (104 ¼ x 125 ¼ in.) Provenance: Christie's Paris sale, 23 November 2022, lot 30 (€ 40,320) ; Acquired by the current owner. Comparative bibliography: D. Boccara, Les Belles Heures de la Tapisserie, Les Clefs du Temps, 1971, p. 100, 102 and 103. A Franco-Flemish large-leaf tapestry, second half of the 16th century, probably Marche's workshop The tapestries known as "cabbage leaves", also improperly called "aristoloches leaves", actually represent enlarged acanthus leaves. Mainly woven in the second half of the 16th century, these dense foliage tapestries are part of the floral tapestry tradition, including the "millefleurs" of the 15th and early 16th centuries. Whereas the latter were drawn without any perspective, the "cabbage leaf" tapestries present an imaginary, three-dimensional nature, into which are inserted elements such as birds and fantastic animals, as in the example presented here. Enghien, Grammont and Oudenaarde produced this type of tapestry, but it is likely that other centres also wove them, such as the county of La Marche in France. The absence of marks and the circulation of models from one town to another make attribution extremely difficult. However, our example, both in its general workmanship and in the treatment of the animals, which are slightly more naive than those from Flemish weaving, can be compared with the French workshops of the Marche (cfr. D. Boccara, Les Belles Heures de la Tapisserie, Les Clefs du Temps, 1971, p. 100, 102 and 103). A tapestry similar to ours sold at Christie's London on 4 November 2010, lot 27.
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About the sale Furniture and Works of Art - Evening Sale (Lot 1-170)
Auction location
Auction time 06/16/2026 at 5:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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