Tapestry, Alexander the Great wounded at the Battle of Issus. Flemish school, after Jacob Jordaens, attributed to the workshop of Jan Leyniers, ca. 1650. Large tapestry with a wide frame decorated with a plant composition which, on the sides, is partially replaced by a panoply of weapons (helmet, shields, etc.) and enhanced by some putti or half-naked children towards the corners; in the centre of the upper part there is a cartouche with a text in Latin and capital letters ("alexanderdarium persequens inter dimicantes in femore levit er mucrone perstrinc itur"; Alexander, pursuing Darius among the combatants, is slightly wounded in the thigh by a sword). The central scene, figurative, shows a battle, with the two protagonists in the centre (Alexander the Great highlighted by a red cape, thoracata armour following classical models and his posture), surrounded by a series of characters, some dressed in tunics, others in armour and others half-naked. This work is part of a series known as the “Historia de Alexander the Great”, designed by Jacob Jordaens in the 1630s. This scene is said to represent the Battle of Issus, dated 333 BC, which is considered one of the most significant episodes in the emperor’s life. Two preparatory drawings from this period have been preserved, one at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the other at the Dahlem in Berlin. This series follows the “Life of Charlemagne” (based on designs by Jacob Jordaens and produced in the same years). Both stories, considered important moral examples for rulers, were influential for centuries. There are known to be two tapestries with this same theme, both sold at two prestigious auction houses, another one in the British Royal Collection, there are five tapestries from this same series in the Palazzo Chigi in Rome (Italy) signed by Leyniers, four in the Cathedral of Toledo (Spain) by another weaver, and one by Jacob II Guebels which is in the Palazzo Marino in Milan (Italy). Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678) was a prominent Antwerp painter, also highly regarded for his tapestry designs. He was active between 1630 and 1670, and extended the innovations brought to this luxury art by Rubens (namely, the introduction of large, colourful, dramatic and dynamic groups of figures with a marked attention to design). Jordaens brought a sense of "baroque" drama, with chiaroscuro and balance of figures with their settings, whether natural or architectural.
· Size: 402x612 cms.
ANTIQUES
Ref.: ZF1234
