$13,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
The Collection of Amb. & Mrs. Alexander Weddell - The Virginia House Museum
Auction: April 10, 2019 11:00:00 AM EDT
With "B B" Brussels-Brabant mark at lower proper right selvage and maker's mark at proper left side selvage.
10 ft. 3 in. x 17 ft. 5 in.Provenance: Acquired in Spain, 1941.
The Collection of Ambassador and Mrs. Alexander Weddell, Richmond, Virginia.
Deaccessioned by The Virginia House Museum to benefit future preservation, acquisitions, and care of collections.
Alexander Weddell described this spectacular tapestry in great detail in his Description of Virginia House:
"The initials 'B B,' flanking an escutcheon, seen in the lower left-hand corner, prove its proud Brussels-Brabant origin, while on the opposite corner is a variant of the mark of the great Brussels tapestry-maker, Willem de Pannemaker. For his cartoon the artist drew inspiration from the familiar Biblical story of Esther before Ahasuerus. The brave Jewish queen is here depicted as daring at the risk of her life to run counter to rigid court etiquette and to appear unsummoned before the Oriental despot, drawing courage from the knowledge that her people's very existence was at stake. Esther, with head bowed and body inclined in a gesture of humility and respect, stands with her handmaidens, awaiting the signal of forgiveness for her temerity--the inclined sceptre of the Monarch.
The borders of this tapestry are unusually good in breadth and variety of subject. The work was bought in Spain in 1941."
This tapestry is indeed quite fine and in a good state of preservation. The story is one oft depicted in tapestries of the 16th century, and examples of Brussels tapestries with this subject can be found in important collections in museums throughout the world. The present lot is notable for its two maker's marks: the first indicates it was produced in a Brussels workshop, acknowledged to be the finest in Europe in the 16th century; the second is a cypher that relates to the weaver or specific workshop. Few tapestry maker's marks today have been positively identified, and Ambassador Weddell's attribution to Willem de Pannemaker (Flemish, 1512-1581) is considered unlikely. Nevertheless, its fine handling of human forms and the highly complex border demonstrate that it was without doubt woven in an elite workshop, and then likely exported to a royal or aristocratic residence in Spain.