[Sidenote:
_Wool._
H. 4 _ft._ 3½ _in._
W. 7 _ft._ 9½ _in._
]
TWO PAIRS OF LOVERS: _Two pairs of lovers are pictured against a
background of vines with blue-green scrolled leaves and large red and
yellow blossoms on a dark-blue field. The pair at the right is on either
side of a Gothic pedestal on which is a small statue. The ladies are in
red robes. One man is in a blue doublet, the other in a two-toned red
brocaded cloak. Border of rose-vines and daisies._
[Sidenote: Formerly in the Collection of Comtesse Desautoy.]
The piece was probably woven in Basle, and is undoubtedly adapted from a
wood-block illustration in one of Leonhard Ysenmuth's publications. The
width and richness of the border indicate that it was done in the early
XVIth rather than in the late XVth century.
The subject of pairs of lovers was quite a favorite one with German and
Swiss weavers, and a number of them in different styles is left to us.
The piece is probably the work of an amateur, a nun, or more probably
some lady, who thus filled her long leisure hours. The wood-block print
has been closely followed for the figures, even to such minor details as
the very simple conventionalization of the hair. The vine background in
rather a large scale is common to many Swiss tapestries of the period. The
limited range of colors used is especially worthy of note, there being
only three shades of blue, three of green-blue, three of tan, and two of
red, in addition to the black for the outlines.
[Sidenote: Lent by _Wildenstein & Co._]
The work is thoroughly naïve, but it has the strong appeal of genuineness
and directness common to naïve designs and shows a strong feeling for
decorative quality.
[Sidenote: 23-25]