COURTRAI, CIRCA 1708-1709

Details

A Damask linen napkin depicting the capture of Lille
COURTRAI, CIRCA 1708-1709
Woven with scenes of the capture of Lille by Prince Eugene of Savoye in charge of the allied forces, on 23 October 1708, in the border the inscription PRISE DE LA VILLE DE LILLE PAR LES ALIES, embroidered with initials PT
114.5 cm. x 88 cm.

Special notice

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Lot Essay

Franz Eugen, Prinz Von Savoyen-Carignan field marshal and statesman of the Carignan line of the House of Savoy, who, in the service of the Austrian Holy Roman emperor, made his name as one of the greatest soldiers of his generation. He fought notably against the Turks in central Europe and the Balkans (1683-1688, 1697, 1715-1718) and against France in the War of the Grand Alliance (1689-1697) and in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). He was the teacher of Frederick the Great and the only one among the seven great strategists of all time whose campaigns Napoleon considered worthy of study by posterity.

Several versions of the capture of Lille were woven, and are illustrated in A.G. Pauwels, Damast, Kortrijk, 1986 - Bestandscatalogus Museum voor Oudheidkunde en Sierkunst in Kortrijk, Nr. 119-125.

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