MID-16TH CENTURY, PROBABLY AUDENARDE

The weavers of the Flemish city of Audenarde founded their guild in 1441, under the protection of their patron Saint Barbara. They were known for their significant output of verdure tapestries, but also produced works with historical and mythological subjects. From 1545, an imperial edict imposed a mandatory city brand containing a shield with three red stripes on a yellow background (G. Delmarcel, Flemish Tapestry from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century, Paris, 1999, pp. 188-195).

In the present tapestry, the scene is covered with large leaves of plants commonly called cabbage, but which are in reality, with their characteristic form, acanthus leaves. The scene is driven by a multitude of birds, stylised flowers and fruits. Two flower-filled vases are enthroned in the centre of the composition, which is framed by a pergola. Spectacular compositions of this type were also featured in other production centres near Audenarde, such as Grammont or Enghien (E. Harkamp-Jonxis and H. Smit, European Tapestries in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 2004, pp. 88-93). A magnificent example of a verdure tapestry featuring birds is in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art (C. J. Adelson, European Tapestry in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, New York, 1994, pp. 111-121).