LATE 16TH EARLY 17TH CENTURY

Details

A BRUSSELS MYTHOLOGICAL TAPESTRY
Late 16th early 17th Century
Woven in wools and silks, depicting a Juliet holding a dagger to her chest with further maidens looking on and the dead Romeo lying before her, with three further men, one holding a spear, looking on, before an arcaded building with a central recess with a sculpture of the seated Diana and with a view in the distance, the top and bottom with a blue outer slip, reduced in size, the top border previously with further ornament, the bottom border with the Brussels' town mark, the later lining with a woven 'W', minor reweaving and patching
86 in. x 120 in. (218 cm. x 306 cm.)

Lot Essay

This tapestry depicts the final scene of the play where Romeo lies dying after having drunk the poison acquired from a Mantuan pharmacist. Romeo took his own life after mistakenly believing Juliet to be dead. Juliet in turn seeing Romeo dead, stabs herself, the desperate friar looking on from behind.

A tapestry of identical subject and nearly identical treatment of figures was offered anonymously in these Rooms, 17 April 1975, lot 69.

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