King Solomon Inviting his Mother Bathsheba to Share his Throne

The King Baudouin Foundation has facilitated the acquisition of this exceptional Brussels tapestry thanks to several partners. The City of Brussels, the Fondation Périer-D’Ieteren, the De Wit non-profit organisation and the King Baudouin Foundation assembled the financial means required to return this remarkable part of our heritage to Belgium. The work is now exhibited at the King’s House, Brussels City Museum, where it is now available for everyone to enjoy. The tapestry not only showcases Brussels craftsmanship but also serves to illustrate the major role played by tapestry production in the city’s development. It is a remarkable work that is not only complete, but also in an excellent state of conservation, with its colours magnificently preserved, its original border and marks identifying its production in Brussels.

Renaissance taste, woven in Brussels

In an Italianate setting, two characters in classical dress attract our attention: Solomon is inviting his mother Bathsheba to share his throne. The courtiers’ dress and hairstyles reflect 16th century fashion and they have lively gestures and expressions. Behind the richly-carved throne, a dresser exhibits magnificent ceremonial silverware. The Italian Renaissance-style colonnade draws the eye to an undulating landscape, depicted in shades of green, grey and blue. The tapestry borders present motifs that were common in Brussels around 1530: in the lower corners are vases of irises from which stem palms and abundant vegetation of flowers, foliage, apples, pears, grapes, cherries, squashes and pomegranates. The quality of the composition, the execution of the objects and textures and the light, shadows and relief in the work, are all the fruit of close collaboration between the tapestry-makers and the artist who created the cartoon.

Internationally-recognised skills

The great care and particular luxury of this tapestry bear witness to the expertise of Brussels tapestry-makers and the taste for Italian Renaissance art prevailing at this time. As a leading centre for tapestry production, in the mid-16th century Brussels could boast of around thirty master tapestry-makers, each of whom would have employed dozens of journeymen and apprentices. An increasing demand for this local artistic production among the Hapsburgs and foreign courts made an important contribution to the development and influence of Brussels.

A return to the city where it was produced

The Solomon and Bathsheba tapestry was part of a hanging (sold in 1987 and dispersed) that depicted six scenes from the lives of David, Salomon and Bathsheba. No other example is known. This exceptional tapestry previously hung in the House of Lords in London and belonged to Lord Rochdale. Thanks to several patrons and institutions (the City of Brussels the Fondation Périer-D’Ieteren, the De Wit non-profit organisation and the King Baudouin Foundation), the work has been able to return to Brussels. It will be kept and exhibited at the King’s House, Brussels City Museum, where it will showcase the excellence of Brussels tapestry-making, so esteemed by the royal courts of Europe as well as collectors. The Salomon and Bathsheba tapestry has now been brought home to the neighbourhood where it was produced and where it can be now be admired by the general public over the next two years, followed by a ‘rest’ period so as to ensure it is kept in optimal conditions.

A tailor-made philanthropic solution

The acquisition of this tapestry was made possible thanks to the commitment of several partners, but also thanks to a tailor-made philanthropic solution devised by the King Baudouin Foundation, which enabled us to collect the funds needed to complete the tapestry’s purchase. The King Baudouin Foundation’s Philanthropy Centre helps develop and shape any philanthropic undertaking, such as safeguarding the future of an art collection, ensuring the sustainable conservation of our natural and architectural heritage, contributing to improving the health or living conditions of the elderly through art or culture, or supporting the original projects of young musicians and this whether the project is close to home, in Belgium, in Europe and/or internationally. To do this, we have developed a range of tools.