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A striking Flemish Tapestry fragment possibly depicting the story of St Cornelius early to mid 18th century, image 1
A striking Flemish Tapestry fragment possibly depicting the story of St Cornelius early to mid 18th century, image 2
A striking Flemish Tapestry fragment possibly depicting the story of St Cornelius early to mid 18th century, image 3
A striking Flemish Tapestry fragment possibly depicting the story of St Cornelius early to mid 18th century, image 4
Lot 13TP

A striking Flemish Tapestry fragment possibly depicting the story of St Cornelius
early to mid 18th century,

Important Design
27 November 2019, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £6,312.50 inc. premium

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A striking Flemish Tapestry fragment possibly depicting the story of St Cornelius

early to mid 18th century,
woven in wool and golden thread, showing the Roman figure (possibly of Cornelius) on the left as he kneels, turning towards the angel elevated on a cloud to the right of the scene, the scene taking place on a terrace framed by columns and swathes of rich curtain, with a verdant garden in the background, 187cm x 186cm

Footnotes

Provenance: Property of a Lady

Cornelius, the centurion is believed to be the first Gentile to convert to Christianity. He was a soldier in the Cohors II Italica Civium Romanorum, stationed in Caesarea. When the angel of God appeared to him, he was instructed to send men to Joppa to find Simon Peter, one of Christ's disciples. Upon finding Simon Peter, Cornelius and all his men were baptized in accordance with Simon Peter's instructions. Some traditions credit Cornelius with becoming the first bishop of Caesarea, or of Scepsis, in Mysia.

Comparable iconography can be seen in paintings of the Dutch Golden Age (namely Gerbrand van den Eeckhout) or the English artist William Hamilton for comparable iconography. Both of these artists show the story from Chapter 10 of the Acts of the Apostles with the angel appearing to Cornelius while he is studying. The similarities between these scenes and the present lot include classical architecture adorned with a long curtain, the young bearded Cornelius in Roman armour and the angel descending on a cloud. The present lot is a fragment of what would have been a larger tapestry. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that a table or lecturn would have been present in the original composition.

Additional information

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