Tapestry No. 6. “Anger shall be turned against the reproved, and the anger of God shall oppress sinners. Those who repent not shall suffer death and eternal fire as a punishment for their wickedness.”
Tapestry No. 7. “The day of Antichrist shall come and shall provoke the last war against faith. Babylon shall be conquered and destroyed, and her lost sons shall suffer eternal punishment with her.”
Tapestry No. 8. “On the day of the Last Judgment, the devil shall be shut up in the abyss, and the choir of saints shall sing praises unto God. The victorious Church shall receive her just reward, and filled with gladness shall enjoy for ever the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Group 17. The Seven Deadly Sins (2 Series)
This favourite mediæval subject is depicted in two series of tapestries in the possession of Philip II of Spain. Both series are woven in silk and wool, picked out with gold and silver threads. Neither, however, remains complete. The name of the designer of the cartoons is not known. It may probably have been Bernard van Orley. The general design is markedly Flemish, but the Renaissance influence is evident in the treatment of some of the figures, and more particularly in the borders. These show delicate imagination, exquisite workmanship, and exuberance of detail, and are adorned with a wealth of flowers and fruits, and tiny elves.
1st Series (6 Tapestries)
This series was probably made either for Margaret of Austria or Mary of Hungary. It was used to decorate the monastery of Guadelupe, at the interview in 1575 between Philip II and Sebastian of Portugal. Each tapestry is explained by a Latin text on the upper border. The sins represented are Avarice, Luxury, Anger, Greed, Envy, and Laziness.
2nd Series (4 Tapestries)
These tapestries are attributed to Pannemaker. Pinchart states that they were taken from the Count of Egmont’s collection and sent to the Spanish Court by the Duke of Alba, when the first-mentioned nobleman was sentenced to death as a rebel in 1567.
The pieces now remaining represent Pride, Luxury, Greed, and Laziness. The other three tapestries were still in existence in 1660 and were used at the marriage of the Infanta Maria-Theresa and Louis XIV.