Lot Essay
These three panels form part of the story of ‘Dido and Aeneas’; a series illustrating episodes from Ovid's Heroides. Among Ovid's early works, it revolves around legendary women such as Penelope, Dido and Ariadne and their absent lovers or husbands. The three panels were woven by Jan II Raes (d. 1643), one of the eight most important weavers in Brussels in the early 17th century. He is believed to have been born in circa 1570, the son of Jan I Raes who appears as a tapestry weaver in circa 1580. Jan II received his privileges in 1613 and 1629, and was burgomaster of Brussels in 1634-35. He is recorded as supervising the weaving of several sets after cartoons by Rubens, including ‘The Life of Decius Mus’ and ‘The Triumph of the Eucharist’.