Polychrome woollen tapestry depicting a knight... Lot 193

Polychrome woollen tapestry depicting a knight and a bishop under the blessing of the Virgin and Child, in a medallion with the coat of arms of Basse-Alsace and the motto "Universitas Episcopalis Argentinensis", supported by two angels, wide borders decorated with the Tables of the Law and lithurgic furniture in bouquets of flowers. Circa 1700. 230 x 400 cm (Wear, accidents and tears at edges, faded colors) Provenance: Antonia BANUELOS-THORNDIKE (Rome 1855 - Bournemouth 1921) Last intimate memories Buried in the darkness of a remote villa in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, these last memories of the Marquise d'Alcedo transport us to the height of the Belle Époque and plunge us into the heart of Europe's great aristocratic families. Antonia Bañuelos-Thorndike was born in Rome, at the Vatican, where her father, Count Miguel de los Santos Bañuelos y Traval, held a diplomatic post for Spain. He married Maria Adelina Thorndike, whom he had met while working in New York. Young Antonia spent her childhood in Spain. In 1891, she married Fernando Quiñones de Léon y Francisco-Martin (1858-1937), Marquis of Alcedo, son of the Marquis of San Carlos. Her husband's title was created by Infanta Isabel of Spain especially for him. Antonia Banuelos, Marquise d'Alcedo entered even further into the circle of European aristocracy, through the Quiñones branch, Grands of Spain. The Marquis d'Alcedo, born in France, was also a diplomat, politician, writer and bibliophile. From 1896, she settled in Biarritz, where she spent almost 25 years. They had two daughters, Antonia and Isabel, who are often depicted in her later works. She died in England, but her funeral in Biarritz was attended by her great friend Queen Nathalie of Serbia (1859-1941). She is buried in the family vault in Biarritz's Sabaou cemetery, for which she created a large marble sculpture of an angel. In Paris, Antonia Bañuelos studied under Charles Chaplin (1825-1891), the official artist of the Second Empire, and produced mainly genre scenes and portraits. She exhibited regularly in Europe from the late 1870s onwards, winning a bronze medal in 1889 at the Exposition Universelle in Paris (lot 177). She is probably one of the most important Spanish women artists of the late 19th century. The furniture, objects and paintings we have the honor of presenting bear witness to this prestigious lineage, in which the arms of the Quiñones de Leon family rubbed shoulders with diplomatic functions for which grand receptions could be organized. But Antonia Bañuelos-Thorndike's works also illustrate the intimacy of the family and the sensitivity of a woman well-versed in the manners of Belle Époque high society. This collection has been preserved to this day in the descendants of Antonia Bañuelos. The latter succeeded in passing on her artistic fibre to Juan Luis Cousino, her grandson, and the larger aristocratic line has been maintained, notably with Micaela Cousino Quinones de Léon, wife of Henri Comte de Paris, who died in 2022 and 2019 respectively.