Brussels verdure tapestry with figures — Allegory of Spring/Summer

A square tapestry with a central verdure scene showing two fashionably dressed young women walking in a flower-strewn grove beneath interlaced boughs. One holds a garland and gestures toward a profusion of blossoms; both wear classically draped bodices, pearl jewels and blue bows. The panel is enclosed by an elaborate border of dense roses, carnations and peonies, punctuated by strapwork cartouches with cherub heads and foliate consoles, and framed by an ochre outer band with scrolling acanthus.

The palette (deep blue-greens and golden ochres), the verdure ground with large-leafed trees, and—especially—the architectural strapwork border broken by cartouches with winged heads are characteristic of late 17th-century Brussels production. Borders of this type were used by several Brussels ateliers in the third quarter of the century (e.g., workshops of Jan Raes, Gerard Peemans, and the Reydams family). No town mark or weaver’s monogram is visible in the image; absence is not unusual where outer selvedges have been turned or reduced.
The figures’ garlands, abundant flowers, and light, pastoral setting indicate an allegory of Spring (or early Summer). Tapestries of this format were commonly woven as parts of series of the Seasons, Months, or Allegories of the Gardens/Loves, mixing courtly figures with verdure landscapes.