Felletin, Ateliers de la Marche, (Northern France), c. 220 x 238 cm, first third of the 16th century, coarse weave of silk and wool with several repairs, all sides trimmed, narrow outer borders replaced, mounted on linen. Tapestries from the series about the “Nine Worthies” were a popular courtly theme as early as the 14th century. The Nine Worthies are divided into three groups; Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus from the Old Testament; the pagan heroes: Hector, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar, as well as those belonging to the Christian faith: Charlemagne, King Arthur, and Godfrey of Bouillon. At our first sale of the Reinhold Hofstätter Collection two tapestries from the aforementioned series were offered. Only four similar examples have been published in the specialist literature. Arthur, the famous English legendary figure, is a mythical British king who allegedly fought the invading Anglo-Saxons in around 500 AD, and led the various different kingdoms within Britain when doing so. In the Middle Ages, Arthur and his round table were viewed as the archetypes of nobility and chivalry. The horse cover with the three crowns implies that the hero is King Arthur. Two members of his retinue behind the horse complete the grouping. The figures are standing on a patch of grass, covered with flowers, with a hazy skyline. The former inscription on the upper right standard is no longer decipherable.

Prov.:
probably from Villa Wartholz

Further reading:
Anna Rapp, Monica Stucky, Zahm and Wild: Basler und Strassburger Bildteppiche des 15. Jahrhunderts, pp. 222 – 227;
Heinrich Göbel, Wandteppiche, Die Romanischen Länder, part II, vol. II, ill. 261 and 262;
Les Tapisseries d’Aubusson et de Felletin, 1457 – 1791, p. 20;
Les belles heures de la tapisserie.