A FLEMISH HISTORICAL TAPESTRY

This tapestry belongs to a series depicting The Story of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra which is first mentioned in a document of 7 June 1651. The weavers Geraert van der Strecken (d. 1677) and Jan van Leefdael (d. 1680) then signed a contract to supply a set of ten tapestries to the Antwerp merchant Louis Malo (d. after 1668). A set of three tapestries from the same series with differing borders and by the above weavers remains today in the Quirinale, Rome (N. Forti Grazzini, Il Patrimonio Artistico del Quirinale, Gli Arazzi, Rome, 1994, pp. 199 - 205), while a further five panels, probably from the same set are in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence.