Tapestry: Brussels Bramante; second third of the... Lot 51

Tapestry: Brussels Bramante; second third of the 17th century. Wool. With restorations and faults in the lining. Signed. Provenance: private collection conceived since the 1970s between London and Madrid. Measurements: 394 x 500 cm. Landscape format tapestry in which a figurative scene develops in its interior dominated by the presence of a richly attired knight mounted on his horse. The piece is notable for its colourfulness and the profusion of characters in the scene. The signature BB with the coat of arms in the centre indicates that the piece belongs to the city of Brussels in Brabant. In 1477, Brussels, capital of the Duchy of Brabant, was inherited by the House of Habsburg, and in the same year, Arras, the most important centre of tapestry making in the Low Countries, was sacked and its tapestry production never recovered, while Tournai and Brussels seem to have increased in importance. The tapestries of Northern Europe excelled in their production from the late Middle Ages onwards, being defined as the highest quality in Europe, with brilliant colours, great density and a careful drawing of the cartoons, which resulted in figurative scenes of great richness and narrative meaning. Hunting subjects were common in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, as well as landscapes and genre scenes and court scenes. Production began with the drawing of the cartons, which were executed on paper or parchment by skilled painters and then sent to the tapestry makers, who could be at a great distance. The cartons could be reused many times, and were often used for decades and by different workshops, but due to the fragility of the material, very few have survived. Tapestry workshops were not controlled by guilds. They depended on a migrant workforce, and their commercial activity was carried out by entrepreneurs who were often painters.