Panel of fine Oudenaarde tapestry - Lot 141

Panel of fine Oudenaarde tapestry Flanders Circa 1600/1630 Title: Garden of Love with Horsemen, Scenic Foliage with Gallant Scenes (Gallant Scene in a Pleasure Garden) Made of wool with silk highlights H_ 205 cm W_160 cm Restorations Signs of wear and oxidation. Fragment of tapestry, lined and braided. Several superimposed horizontal registers can be distinguished: Horsemen, courtly couples, fountains, and stylized gardens. A medallion in the center and a heraldic shield form a composition organized as a decorative program rather than a free-form landscape. This historiated landscape is typical of Oudenaarde around 1600–1630, featuring elegant couples, horsemen, and an enclosed garden with fountains and ornamental birds. This corresponds to the theme of the Garden of Love (Hortus Amoris) and aristocratic life in gardens in the spirit of the Renaissance period. The aim was not always to tell a specific story but rather to evoke the pleasures of court life, gallantry, hunting, music, and the joys of strolling. The background is densely filled with foliage and features a unique arrangement of successive compartments containing small, stylized figures set against this beautiful vegetation. The lower medallion depicts a couple seated by the water’s edge. The upper cartouche appears to bear a coat of arms, which is unfortunately heavily oxidized and worn. Damage and Wear Expert: Frank KASSAPIAN