Helena Gumley
Head of Sale Carpets and Tapestries
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Lot 30*,TP
A mythological Flemish tapestryBrussels, mid to late 17th century 478cm x 308cm
13 – 14 July 2022, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £31,800 inc. premium
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A mythological Flemish tapestry
Brussels, mid to late 17th century
woven in rich threads, depicting a courtly scene set in Carthage illustrating the story of Dido and Aeneas, Aeneas standing to the left and Achates kneeling to the right, Aeneas, resplendent in his armour, wafting into Dido's throne room on a cloud, the Queen of Carthage, seated on a throne which stands on an Oriental carpet, wearing an elaborate dress, a crown adorning her coiffured hair, her courtiers wearing typical tunics, flowing robes and some with turbans, the cityscape of Carthage visible to the middle distance to the right of the main field, the border on brown ground, filled with spiralling acanthus leaves and fruiting prunus,
478cm x 308cm
woven in rich threads, depicting a courtly scene set in Carthage illustrating the story of Dido and Aeneas, Aeneas standing to the left and Achates kneeling to the right, Aeneas, resplendent in his armour, wafting into Dido's throne room on a cloud, the Queen of Carthage, seated on a throne which stands on an Oriental carpet, wearing an elaborate dress, a crown adorning her coiffured hair, her courtiers wearing typical tunics, flowing robes and some with turbans, the cityscape of Carthage visible to the middle distance to the right of the main field, the border on brown ground, filled with spiralling acanthus leaves and fruiting prunus,
478cm x 308cm
Footnotes
The present lot depicts the story of the doomed Queen Dido and the young Trojan prince Aeneas. This particular scene can be found in the Aeneid Book I, Line 550 where the Goddess Venus, advises Aeneas to go into the city of Carthage and meet the Queen, Dido who, she says, will welcome him. Aeneas, along with his loyal friend Achates approach Carthage and are concealed by a cloud, conjured by Venus. When they arrive at the court of Dido, they find many of their comrades who were lost and scattered in the storm. Achates asks Dido for help in re-building their fleet, which she agrees to. Dido says that she would like to meet Aeneas at which point Achates reveals his hitherto shrouded leader.
The story of Aeneas was a popular one amongst the prestigious noble houses of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Some Northern European Courts had sets of tapestries showing the story of Troy and claimed that these had come directly from Aeneas. Some European Royal families even claimed Aeneas as a direct ancestor. This is understandable since Aeneas arguably exemplified not just a link between Troy and Rome but the leap from ancient paganism to imperial civilisation.