2 cols.

“Elijah And The Ravens,” tapestry table carpet with tulips, Northern Netherlands, probably Delft or Gouda, after 1630, handwoven with colored wools and silks, 23 warp threads to the inch; 9 feet by 5 feet 9 inches.

Revised for date

MUST RUN 10/19

FRANSES DUTCH TAPESTRY Exhibit  no cut

ak/gs set 10/11 #715660

NEW YORK CITY — Timed to coincide with The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s landmark exhibition “Tapestry in the Baroque: Threads of Splendor” and two other Met exhibitions devoted to Dutch paintings and drawings, the New York City gallery of Franses of London LP, which specializes in historic tapestries, carpets and textiles, is presenting “Dutch Tapestry in the Golden Age, 1590–1650: Baroque Masterpieces from the Northern Netherlands.”

On view through December 14, the exhibit has two objectives: to present an exceptional group of Dutch Baroque tapestries that have never been exhibited in the United States before, and to challenge the idea that masterpieces of Western tapestry are all in museums and no longer available on the market.

It is widely appreciated that during the Seventeenth Century in the Dutch Republic there was a golden age of creativity in the visual arts; it is less known that this extended to tapestry. From the third quarter of the Seventeenth Century, religious persecution and intolerance, high taxation and economic chaos led to a mass migration of more than a 100,000 people who sought new homes and a stable future in the northern part of the republic. Many of these were highly skilled craftsmen — others were artists or wealthy entrepreneurs.

One of the leading beneficiaries of this influx of people and talent was François Spiering from Antwerp who was given a convent in Delft for his extensive workshops. For 30 years, from 1590 until 1620, Spiering produced the greatest tapestries in Europe, with international clients ranging from the King of Sweden and Sir Walter Raleigh to the Dutch government.

The 11 works on view were collected over 20 years, it is the largest group of Dutch weaving ever seen in the United States, and includes five pieces by François Spiering: an extraordinary Romance tapestry depicting Amadis of Gaule, the companion to which was acquired last year by the Metropolitan Museum, and is being exhibited in its “Threads of Splendor” show and “The Triumph of David,” the most important Dutch tapestry remaining in private hands. A rare “cartouche” tapestry and a unique “chimney piece” tapestry or “overdracht” are included in the exhibition.

Also included are works from the second generation of Dutch weavings after 1625, when distinctively Dutch tapestry table carpets, with their naturalistic flowers including tulips and cushions and valences, were produced. These were are depicted frequently in the paintings of Vermeer and other masters.

The Franses is at 132 East 61st Street. For information, www.fransesus.com or 212-317-1166.