Audenarde Mythological Tapestry Panel
Audenarde, Southern Low Countries
11'4 high x 21'6 wide
Late 16th Century
The tapestry has three distinct scenic sections: hunters to the left, aristocratic figures to the right and a figural group of gods and goddesses in the sky above. The coloring is vivacious and well balanced, with no loss in the usually fugitive reds and yellows. In other words, it is well preserved with probably only size reduction affecting the outermost plain strip. The facial expressions of the figures are realistic and their gestures quite natural. The gnarled tree to the right is complex and believable.
The subject let us state at the very outset, is a real puzzle. The origin of the piece is quite clear: there are other tapestries with the same border attributed to Audenarde and, we may state, emanate from the same workshop. Our panel lacks a weaver’s mark, but it was woven about the same time as the similarly proportioned “The Offering of the Priests to Baal”, an Old Testament subject, published in the 1988 exhibition catalogue of Audenarde tapestries by the Gemeenth museum in Bergen op Zoom. Our tapestry does not appear in the catalogue, the most comprehensive work to date on Audenarde tapestries. The similarities in style, proportions and, specifically, border design, may indicate that it comes from a series with it and therefore it too has an Old Testament subject.
The scene basically has three parts: first, the hunting scene to the left and in the middle ground. This bears some resemblance to vignettes from the famous Brussels set of The Hunts of Maximillian These tapestries, designed by Bernard van Orley around 1530, were incredibly influential in the design of hunting theme Flemish tapestries throughout the 16th century. But these figures are probably not totally definitive in ascertaining the subject of the tapestry.
On the right are soldiers in armour and aristocratic female figures. Whether these are spectators to the hunt or commenting on its progress, we are unsure, but, again, they are most unlikely to be the raison d’etre for the scene.
This leaves the figures in the sky and their emblematic animal, a dog. Who are they? What are they doing? What is their significance? They resemble, at a significant remove, those in the Planets Series, in which each planet has an allegorical/symbolic figure and often, an attendant animal. But never are there figural groups of this size and no Old Testament tapestry seems to require them. We have consulted numerous experts and they have been unable to solve this conundrum.
The yellow ground border displays bunches of seasonal flowers with their leaves in a semi-naturalistic manner. This border is recorded on at least two other examples universally ascribed to Audenaarde, both from the later 16th century.
Audenarde is a provincial town with a tapestry tradition of its own reaching back to the early 16th century at least. Unlike Brussels, with famed designers such as Pieter Coq Van Elst and Bernard van Orley, Audenarde artists seem to have labored in anonymity. The designer of this exceptional hanging is not known.
What we do have is a wool pattern wefted, finely colored, totally characteristic Audenarde work, with a mysterious mythological scene. It is obscure only to us, but not to the patron who might well have identified with one of the figures. Certainly there are no other examples of this design. In comparison to the published Audenarde examples, it is one of the best in coloring and quality of design.
