Lot 17
BRUSSELS ALLEGORICAL TAPESTRY OF SPRING, IN THE MANNER OF LODEWIJK VAN SCHOOR
LATE 17TH/ EARLY 18TH CENTURY
Auction: Day One | Wed 12th Nov at 10am | Lots 1 to 338
Description
the central figure of a winged woman represented as Flora, seated and adorned with flowers and accompanied by putti, in the distance a village scene with people dancing, in a floral surround and blue and baize lined border
Dimensions
208cm x 163cm
Provenance
Joanna Booth, London
Property of a Belgravia residence
Footnote
The Roman goddess Flora was pursued by Zephyr who married her and made her mistress of the flowers, and as such, is represented as the mother of Spring, and is celebrated on 1 May. The dancing villagers in the background also support this identification. In art Flora is typically shown adorned with flowers and garlands, more unusually here she has wings, a feature seen on other allegorical figures in works of this time. It has also been suggested that the figure could also represent Venus Fortuna, as she is accompanied here by Cupid and a pair of putti.
Lodewijk van Schoor (d. 1702) was one of the most highly regarded and prolific tapestry designers in Brussels in the late 17th Century. The present subject matter and presentation relate to a series of tapestry designs for the seasons attributed to van Schoor. A related tapestry depicting Winter, possibly from the same series, is in the collection of the V&A, T.165-1931.