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Property of Various Owners
Lot 79

A FLEMISH WOVEN SILK AND WOOL TAPESTRY: THE SIGN OF PISCES
Late 16th century

16 November 2021, 10:00 PST
Los Angeles

US$20,000 - US$30,000

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A FLEMISH WOVEN SILK AND WOOL TAPESTRY: THE SIGN OF PISCES

Late 16th century
dimensions approximately 8ft 5 1/2in x 6ft (258 x 183cm)

Footnotes

Provenance
Beauvais Carpets 29 December 1997.

Literature
Pierrette, Jean-Richard. Ornemanistes Du Xve Au Xviie siècle: Gravures Et Dessins: Xive Exposition De La Coll. Edmond De Rothschild, Musée Du Louvre, 12 Juin - 21 Septembre 1987. Meeting of National Museums, 1987 ed., vol. 1, Éd. De La Réunion Des Musées Nationaux, 1987.

Exhibited
Ornemanistes du XVe au XVIIe siècle: Gravures et dessins: XIVe exposition de la Collection Edmond de Rothschild. 12 June - 21 September 1987, Louvre, Paris, France.

This tapestry is from a series of twelve textiles illustrating a month of the year and their corresponding Zodiac. A design of grotesques fills the background, while a nude woman and man hold a central medallion. Within the medallion is a vignette of figures ice-skating around a tower.

In a chariot, Venus, Jupiter, and Cupid are driven by doves. According to one myth, Venus and Cupid once transformed into a fish whilst escaping the wrath of Typhon - one inspiration for the constellation. Numerous creatures and figures fill the ornate landscape, making this tapestry a magnificent example of 16th century Flemish weaving.

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