AN ENGLISH BAROQUE MYTHOLOGICAL TAPESTRY

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AN ENGLISH BAROQUE MYTHOLOGICAL TAPESTRY
MID-18TH CENTURY, AFTER DESIGNS BY FRANCESCO ALBANI

Centrally woven with a scantily clad Venus reclining on a couch with admiring putti at her side, Vulcan stretches out on the ground beside her holding a hammer, with putti working at the forge on the left side, within narrow spiral ribbon borders (separation)-9ft. 9in. x 11ft. 2in. (2m. 92cm. x 3m. 2in.)

Lot Essay

According to H.C. Marilier, there exists a Brussels set of cartoons based on paintings by Francesco Albani, a painter of mythological subjects who studied under Caracci.(see plate a, b) Four pieces from a Brussels suite by J. De Vos () after designs by Francesco Albani are to be found at Houghton Hall, in Norfolk? (still?) . Sets depicting the subject of Venus and Cupids were commonly woven in England during the 18th century and were most likely after oil paintings and woven on a 'low warp' loom and hence there images are reversed.