Leather Panel
ca. 1670 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Leather hangings were mostly used in the dining rooms of the well-to-do. Hangings of leather were preferable to textiles, as they did not retain the smell of food. Fruit and flowers were thought a suitable subject for such a room.
Material & Making
Silver leaf was applied to one side of the leather, which was then embossed and painted with red and green glazes (varnishes). Finally, an overall yellow glaze was applied to the light grey background. Holes at the edges, and the lighter pigment of the border, suggest that the panels were slightly overlapped when nailed to the walls.
Place
Holland, particularly, Amsterdam, was famous for the making of gilt-leather hangings. The most important manufacturer, the Compagnie van Goudleermaken (Company of Gilt Leathermakers), was established in 1641 and continued till about 1700.
Leather hangings were mostly used in the dining rooms of the well-to-do. Hangings of leather were preferable to textiles, as they did not retain the smell of food. Fruit and flowers were thought a suitable subject for such a room.
Material & Making
Silver leaf was applied to one side of the leather, which was then embossed and painted with red and green glazes (varnishes). Finally, an overall yellow glaze was applied to the light grey background. Holes at the edges, and the lighter pigment of the border, suggest that the panels were slightly overlapped when nailed to the walls.
Place
Holland, particularly, Amsterdam, was famous for the making of gilt-leather hangings. The most important manufacturer, the Compagnie van Goudleermaken (Company of Gilt Leathermakers), was established in 1641 and continued till about 1700.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Embossed and gilded leather |
| Brief description | Embossed gilt leather panel with three human figures between foliage and two quarters of a feston. Painted in a red- and dark green-glaze on a light green ground. The pattern is called the 'Bacchus & Ceres' plate, Martinus van den Heuvel (the younger), Amsterdam, ca. 1670. |
| Physical description | Embossed gilt leather panel with three human figures between foliage and two quarters of a feston. The embossed pattern consists of swags of scrolling foliage, tulips, roses, sunflowers and other flowers, grapes, pomegranates, berries, melons, pears, plums and other fruit, amid which are Bacchus, Ceres and a third unidentified human figure, and a bird pecking fruit above his head. Painted in a red- and dark green-glaze on a light green ground. The pattern is called the' Bacchus & Ceres' plate. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | (Canvas-print on the back.) |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Such panels were used like wallpaper (see photograph). They were brightly coloured and richly textured with Restoration motifs. They were often used for dining-rooms, as leather did not absorb food smells.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by Murray Marks |
| Object history | Probably manufactured by Martinus van den Heuvel the younger (active 1640-1680), owner of the gilt leather firm, Compagnie van Goudleermaken, in Amsterdam. Identical panels: V&A, museum numbers 478-1869 and W67-1911; Kunstgewerbemuseum, Dresden, inventory number 6862; Deutsches Tapetenmuseum, Kassel, inventory number 88/88; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, inventory number RBK 18249; wall hanging in the castle of Humbeek (Belgium); V&A Museum, inventory number 478-1869 and W38-1974 (from Dyrham Park). One of the Dyrham Park panels is illustrated in Jean-Pierre Fournet, Cuirs Dorées, "Cuirs de Courdoue", un art Européen (Château de Saint-Remy-en-l'Eau: 2019), p. 199, fig. 291. This panel has been analysed as part of the gilt leather cataloguing project in 1996. Eloy Koldeweij, October 1996. See also: A Technical investigation into the methods and materials used for gilt leather manufacture from the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum (unpublished report, c.1996, held by the FTF Dept.), item 15 Report prepared by Christopher Calnan, Adviser on Conservation of Organic Materials at the National Trust, London. Examination of decorative surface carried out by Catherine Hassell, University College, London Examination of vegetable tannins carried out by Jan Wouters, KIK, Brussels. |
| Summary | Object Type Leather hangings were mostly used in the dining rooms of the well-to-do. Hangings of leather were preferable to textiles, as they did not retain the smell of food. Fruit and flowers were thought a suitable subject for such a room. Material & Making Silver leaf was applied to one side of the leather, which was then embossed and painted with red and green glazes (varnishes). Finally, an overall yellow glaze was applied to the light grey background. Holes at the edges, and the lighter pigment of the border, suggest that the panels were slightly overlapped when nailed to the walls. Place Holland, particularly, Amsterdam, was famous for the making of gilt-leather hangings. The most important manufacturer, the Compagnie van Goudleermaken (Company of Gilt Leathermakers), was established in 1641 and continued till about 1700. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.67-1911 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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