FR EN
1 / 22
an image of a tapestry hanging on the wall of a rooma picture of a painting on the wall of a housea painting of a group of people walking in a fielda tapestry with a painting of people walking in the woodsa tapestry with a picture of a man and a dog on ita picture of a tapestry with fruit hanging from it ' s ceilingan image of a tapestry hanging on the wall of a rooma picture of a tapestry hanging on a wall in a rooman image of a tapestry hanging on a wall in a rooma tapestry with a painting of people in the woodsa tapestry with a picture of a group of people in the woodsa tapestry hanging on the wall of a rooma picture of a tapestry hanging on a walla tapestry hanging on the wall of a room with a painting on ita picture of a painting on the wall of a buildinga painting of a man riding a horse in the woodsa painting of a group of people walking down a pathan image of a tapestry hanging on the wall of a rooma tapestry with a picture of a man and a woman in a foresta picture of a tapestry with a picture of a lion on ita painting of a group of people walking down a pathan image of a tapestry hanging on a wall in a room
Premium Coutau-Bégarie & Associés

125 - A wall hanging comprising three wool and silk tapestries ins…
See original version (French)

Estimate €12,000 - €15,000
Sale commission
Description
A wall hanging comprising three wool and silk tapestries inspired by the *Iliad*. These three tapestries are arranged to resemble a trompe-l’œil loggia opening out onto a wooded landscape. Each panel is framed by two composite columns resting on a plinth adorned with mascarons; the shafts are decorated with garlands of fruit, surmounted by a Corinthian capital. The straight entablature supports a double garland, also laden with fruit, held in place by rings, with a midnight-blue cabochon set at its centre. The upper border is punctuated in turn by corbels, scrolls and trompe-l’œil barbs that appear to hold the fabric in place. The undulating woodland forming the background, criss-crossed by paths, ponds and streams, is rendered in atmospheric perspective using a broad palette of blue and green tones, whilst farmhouses and mills evoke the Flemish countryside. The first tapestry depicts a group comprising two men and a woman: the woman is holding the arm of a warrior clad in breastplate, who is supporting his head in a gesture of grief whilst a woman dressed in red hurries towards him. In the second, this same warrior is led by two women towards a third, who hands him a spear and a red cloth headband. In the background, on the left, a hunter accompanied by his dog can be seen, and on the right, the body of a man being devoured by dogs. The third panel depicts four men armed with spears pointing out to a woman the warrior lying on the ground, supported by two other women. Audenarde, first half of the 17th century H.: 295 cm – W.: 446 cm H.: 288 cm – W.: 498 cm H.: 276 cm – W.: 313 cm (restorations, wear and tear, damage) These three views of woodland, known as ‘boscaiges’ (bocages), which unfold from a loggia in the foreground, are characteristic of the work produced by the weavers of Oudenaarde between the mid-16th and late 17th centuries. The architectural framework features several variations on a common theme, although there are similarities in the sculpted decoration of the columns, the mascarons and the rich garlands of fruit. The latter, which are particularly meticulously rendered in the tapestries on display here, bear a resemblance to a five-panel tapestry now held between the Louvre Museum and the Ghent Museum, depicting the Labours of Hercules (c. 1545– 1565). The remarkable attention paid to atmospheric perspective has few equals amongst 17th-century Flemish works. The workshop distinguishes itself here through its mastery of a subtle colour palette, evident in the reflections of plants on the water of the ponds and the play of light on the trees, whose foliage is enhanced by flecks of light. Another distinctive feature of the Oudenaarde workshops is the deliberate and playful blurring of the lines between the trompe-l’oeil architecture, the landscape it appears to reveal, and the scrolls on the entablature, reminding the viewer that this is indeed a tapestry. In these Edenic landscapes, tapestry makers frequently depict hunters, shepherds or animals – real or fantastical – without these figures being part of any actual narrative. The same applies to allusions to ancient texts, the main episodes of which are sometimes reworked to suit commissions, without ever overshadowing the natural setting of these ‘boscaiges’. The scenes depicted here nevertheless evoke several passages from the *Iliad*, although it is difficult to identify them with certainty. The first may depict Achilles’ grief upon learning of the death of Patroclus, slain by Hector. The second likely depicts Thetis, Achilles’ mother, handing her son – clad in the armour forged by Hephaestus – the spear and the headband with which he will avenge the death of Patroclus. In the background, the body being devoured by dogs could allude to the opening lines of the *Iliad* (I, 1–5), which lament the loss of ‘so many valiant heroes whose bodies served as food for the dogs’. The third panel could therefore depict the death of Achilles: having heeded his mother’s warnings not to face Hector, he is killed by Paris with an arrow guided by Apollo. Source consulted: Guy Delmarcel, *Flemish Tapestry from the 15th to the 18th Century*, Lannoo, 1999.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Provenance and Collection
Auction location
Auction time 10/30/2026 at 11:00 AM
Lot description modified on 10/13/2026 at 6:59 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like