America - Lot 17

America Brussels tapestry Early 18th century Model by Lodewijk van Schoor (1666-1726) H. 2.89 x W. 3.54 m H. 9ft 5½ x W. 11ft 7 Description: This beautiful tapestry is a baroque, sensual and colorful evocation of that faraway continent, the New World. It is part of a Four Continents hanging that includes Europe, Africa and Asia, as Australia has not yet been discovered. For the other tapestries in the hanging, see Delmarcel, 1999, pp. 308 and 309. Six young white women with feathered heads symbolize the continent and the Indian men and women who populate it; a young black woman is seated on the far right. In the center of the tapestry stands a woman whose more imposing hairstyle is much more European. Her scarf flutters in the sea breeze; she holds a bow in one hand and an arrow and quiver on her back in the other. The fauna, flora and riches of the continent are evoked: an alligator at the feet of the central figure, a parrot, shells, a turtle, flowers and plants. The young woman on the right, dressed in red, leans nonchalantly on a chest whose jewels evoke the gold, silver, pearls and precious stones of the New World that the ship at anchor in the bay will take to Europe. Related tapestries : The Musée du Nouveau Monde in La Rochelle conserves the same tapestry, which is wider and higher, as it has retained its wide border, but the whole appears to be in poorer condition, and the presence of precious metal threads is not reported. Materials and condition: Wool warp (7 warp threads per cm), wool weft, silk and precious metal threads. The tapestry has preserved its beautiful colors. Missing border. Provenance : - French private collection Reference: - Guy Delmarcel, 1999, Flemish Tapestry