Lot Essay
This tapestry belongs to a series of The Triumphs of the Gods which was designed by Jan van Orley (d. 1735) and Aurel Augustin Coppens (d. 1740) who supplied the backgrounds, in circa 1716. The first set was completed by 1717 for the town hall in Ghent. There are thirteen different main subjects known of the series, but panels can vary widely in design as they seem to have been adapted over the forty years of production. (D. Heinz, Europische Tapisseriekunst des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts, Vienna, 1995, pp. 218-219 and p. 232, and K. Brosens, A Contextual Study of Brussels Tapestry, 1670 - 1770, Brussels, 2004, cat. 8, pp. 152 - 159)
A set from this series, comprising six panels and including an identical panel to lot 228 of this sale, was sold anonymously in these Rooms, 14 November 1985, lots 227-232, while a pair of panels depicting The Triumph of Venus and The Triumph of Jupiter were sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 1 October 1998, lots 229 and 230, respectively.
A set from this series, comprising six panels and including an identical panel to lot 228 of this sale, was sold anonymously in these Rooms, 14 November 1985, lots 227-232, while a pair of panels depicting The Triumph of Venus and The Triumph of Jupiter were sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 1 October 1998, lots 229 and 230, respectively.