Tapestry; Brussels, ca. 1620-1630

Tapestry; Brussels, ca. 1620-1630.
"The Victory of Mark Antony at Pelusium".
Provenance: Mansion apartment belonging to a Catalan bourgeois family with a long tradition.
Wool.
It has a lining.
It has restorations and wear.
Measurements: 260 x 430 cm.

In the center of the scene stands the victorious general, a figure of imposing presence. His body is wrapped in armor that shines like a rising sun, and his head is crowned with a helmet adorned with laurels, symbol of triumph and the favor of the gods. Although he is not a king, his bearing and the firmness of his gaze speak of absolute power, of a will that has subdued its enemies and now contemplates, from on high, the fruit of its conquest. At his feet, in the half-light, the subdued people prostrate themselves with reverence and fear, like a silent sea that surrenders before the inevitable dawn. The composition recalls the echo of great deeds past, such as the surrender of Darius' family to Alexander, but now is his moment, his victory, his legacy.
To the left, the horse of destiny awaits, magnificent and serene. It is the steed of Mark Antony, mute witness of many campaigns in distant lands. On its back, a monkey frolics with an almost profane air, symbol of the mysteries of the Eastern world, of Egypt and its exotic charms. At its side, a banner or relief emerges, showing the face of a queen with pearls in her hair: Cleopatra, the very embodiment of seduction and power in distant lands. Everything in this corner evokes the pleasures and dangers of the Orient, reminding us that even the mightiest of men are not immune to the spell of the unknown.
It is a setting that captures the essence of victory and the ambivalence of power: the glory achieved and the price paid for it, the weight of what has been conquered and the ceaseless call of other worlds yet to be explored.

The tapestries of northern Europe stood out in their production since the end of the Middle Ages, being defined as the highest quality in Europe, with brilliant colors, great density and a careful drawing of the cartoons, which translated into figurative scenes of great richness and narrative sense. Hunting themes were frequent in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, in addition to the landscape genre and the costumbrista or courtly theme. Production began with the drawing of the cartoons, which were executed on paper or parchment by qualified painters and then sent to the tapestry makers, who could be at a great distance. The cartons could be reused numerous times, and very often they were used for decades and by different workshops; but given the fragility of their material, very few have been preserved. Tapestry workshops were not controlled by guilds. They depended on a migrant labor force, and their commercial activity was carried out by entrepreneurs who were often painters.