A pair of 16th century Flemish tapestry border panels

Brussels, circa 1570-1580

Each woven with a female figure seated on a wrought iron throne beneath further ferronerie bearing flowers, fruits and leaves. The figure on the left hand panel, holding a palm, representing ‘Victory’; and that on the right, bearing two straight Roman trumpets, or tubae, ‘Fame’.

A similar border may be found on a tapestry in the collection of the M.H. de Young Museum, San Francisco, acc. no. 44.27, which is also illustrated in ‘Five Centuries of Tapestry’, Anna G. Bennett, publ. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1976, no. 36, pp. 136-138

The accompanying label ‘J. Brett’ indicating a probable provenance from the collection of the antiques dealer James Brett.

137cm (54”) high and 54.5cm (21½”) wide, & 136.5cm (53¼”) high and 56.5cm (22¼”) wide.