Flemish tapestry. Brussels, 17th century.

Flemish tapestry. Brussels, 17th century.
"Hippomedes and Atalanta".
Wool and silk. Hand knotted.
In good state of conservation, good colours.
Measurements: 250 x 290 cm.
In this important Flemish tapestry from the Baroque period, a mythological theme is developed that alludes to the marriage of Hipómedes and Atalanta, daughter of a king of Arcadia. Specifically, the moment when the goddess Aphrodite gives the hero golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides is represented. These will help Hipómedes to win the race in which he will compete with Atalanta, thus winning her hand. Behind the main characters, we see other suitors who did not manage to reach the end of the race and whose punishment will be death. The narrative and chromatic richness achieved with an intricate pattern, characteristic of the Brussels workshops, stands out.
From the Late Middle Ages to the 18th century, Flemish tapestries, as well as the pictorial production of the masters of Flemish painting, became a luxury commodity that was exported throughout Europe. The special relationship that was established between the region called Flanders (an imprecise way of referring to the northern area of the Burgundian State) and the medieval peninsular Christian kingdoms (especially the Crown of Castile, and later the Hispanic Monarchy - which incorporated the Netherlands of the Habsburgs -), from which a good part of the wool that arrived at the textile workshops of Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Mechelen, Arras or Tou came.