Description

Gild Leather Wall hangings

Gilded leather wall covering with vine and bird motifs

Against a light grey ground unfolds a rich interlacing pattern of gilded vines, elegantly branching and enlivened by garlands of pomegranates, berries, acorns, and ears of wheat. Among the foliage, characterized by fleshy leaves and flowers with raised buds, two birds are depicted, bringing vitality to the composition. The specimen in the upper right stretches its open beak towards a cluster of berries, while the one in the lower left is shown in the act of holding its prey. The overall composition conveys an extraordinary richness of ornamentation, characteristic of gilded leather wall coverings produced for the decoration of prestigious interiors.

Comparative examples
Comparable examples are known in the collections of the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp and the Musée National de la Renaissance in Écouen.

Materials and technique
Leather (probably calfskin), silvered, lacquered in golden yellow, embossed, and painted.

Period:Second half of the 17th century.

Dimensions:57 × 169 cm

Manufacture:Netherlands

Provenance:Private collection

Comparative work:MHK – Deutsches Tapetenmuseum (German Wallpaper Museum), Kassel, inv. DTM 29/29.