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Lot Essay
HISTORY OF THE SERIES
The Art of War series is among the grandest productions of the Brussels workshops in the early 18th century, creating a series of panoramic depictions of imaginary military scenes, thereby glorifying the Royalty and the military commanders who commissioned them. The series was initially woven for three rulers, all following Louis XIV's example of using tapestry sets to confirm both status and power. Thus, while the Elector Max Emmanuel of Bavaria (d. 1726), who received the first set in 1696, and the Margrave Louis of Baden (d. 1707) both commissioned a series to commemorate their victory over the Turks at the Siege of Vienna in 1683, William III of England (d. 1702) ordered a set so as not to be outdone by his great rival Louis XIV. Surprisingly all three chose to commission Brussels ateliers rather than their own weavers.
WEAVERS AND DESIGNER
The series cost the huge amount of 3,787 escus and was woven by Jéroën Le Clerc (d. 1722) and Jasper van der Borcht (d. 1742), who are known to have collaborated on several large series. Le Clerc and van der Borcht are believed to have woven all the sets of the first series of cartoons, which were designed by Lambert de Hondt II, who was active in Brussels in the 1690s.
MARLBOROUGH AND HIS GENERALS
After the wars of the Spanish Succession between 1700 and 1714, the Duke of Marlborough (d. 1722) commissioned two sets for himself and six further sets were completed for his generals: Lord Cadogan, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Orkney, General Lumley, General Webb and Lord Cobham.
SUBSEQUENT WEAVINGS
Thirteen further generals or princes who had participated on either side of these wars subsequently commissioned sets for themselves. These subsequent weavings were almost certainly all executed in the workshop of Jodocus de Vos (d. after 1725) and probably executed to a revised design.
(A Wace, The Marlborough Tapestries at Blenheim Palace, London, 1968, and W. Hefford, 'Some Problems Concerning the "Art of War" Tapestries', Centre International d'Etude des Textiles Anciens, Lyon, 1975, pp. 101 - 116)
COMPARABLE EXAMPLES
Two panels from the first series depicting Attacque and Vivandier from the property of Baron Coppée were sold Christie's, London, 26 November 1996, lots 228 and 229, while another two woven to the second designs, depicting Campement and La Marche and bearing the arms of Johann Wenzel Graf Wratislaw (d. 1712), were sold anonymously Christie's, London, 1 October 1998, lots 221 and 222. A further panel depicting Pillage from the Lumley set was sold at Christie's, London, 30 September 1999, lot 179. A version of L'Embuscade was sold at Christie's New York, 13 June 1996, lot 148, and was subsequently on the Paris art market.