Triumph of Diana No. 37
The Niobides No. 38
49 MORTLAKE, LATE XVII CENTURY
Wool and Silk.
H. 10 ft. 4 in.
W. 7 ft. 6 in.
Formerly in the Collection of Sir John Ramsay.
Lent by Frank Partridge, Inc.
PEASANTS IN A LANDSCAPE: A group of peasants has stopped by the wayside in a mountainous landscape. Above is a shield bearing the inscription "Iocatur in Parvis sorts ut cum Magna Mercede Fallat."
The cartoon is after Teniers. The Mortlake renditions of these cartoons, which were borrowed from Flanders, have a clarity and sharpness that give them marked distinction. The towering mountain landscape is really impressive.
The rendition of the water is unusually realistic without any loss of decorative interest. The translation of water into a woven design is one of the most difficult problems of the craft. It has been given many solutions, of which this is the most naturalistic.