RKD Study highlights tapestry art in Dutch collections
Throughout the Netherlands, hundreds of historical tapestries are displayed in public spaces such as museums, castles, and government buildings. For the first time, an overview of these tapestries is published in the RKD Study Corpus wandtapijten in Nederland (Corpus Tapestries in the Netherlands), written by Hillie Smit.
Prestigious art form
The mayor's chamber in Leeuwarden city hall is adorned with four large tapestries representing allegories of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. That these massive artworks have remained in place for three centuries is remarkable, but there are many other prominent interiors in the Netherlands where tapestries play a central role. In the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, these works were among the most prestigious and valuable possessions one could own. Today, however, many have faded into obscurity. The RKD is working to change this, giving this extraordinary art form the attention it deserves with the Corpus wandtapijten in Nederland.
Tapestries and tapestry-woven objects
Tapestries were ideally suited to furnishing castles and palaces. For instance, 16 tapestries were collected for Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn, and another significant collection can be found at Kasteel de Haar in Haarzuilens, which boasts three large tapestries woven in Brussels in the early 16th century. In addition to tapestries, the publication also includes tapestry-woven objects such as cushions and tablecloths. A superb example of a 17th-century interior featuring a matching set of tablecloth and chair coverings can be found in the regent’s room of the Deutzenhofje in Amsterdam.
2. Tablecloth with scattered flowers and matching chair coverings, 1650-1670, Deutzenhofje, Amsterdam
Decades of research
The Corpus wandtapijten in Nederland presents detailed descriptions of hundreds of tapestries and tapestry-woven objects, the result of decades of research. The tireless efforts of Hillie Smit, supported by the late Professor Willemijn Fock of Leiden University, have led to this comprehensive survey of works in public collections across the Netherlands. The research builds on earlier work, including a 1988 publication by Elisabeth Kalf on tapestries in the provinces of Zeeland, North Brabant, and Limburg, as well as the 2004 study by Ebeltje Hartkamp-Jonxis and Hillie Smit on the Rijksmuseum’s extensive tapestry collection.
An extensive catalogue
The RKD Study opens with an introduction in both Dutch and English, discussing tapestry techniques, the history of tapestry in Western Europe, and an overview of the Dutch collections where these artworks are held. The main catalogue is in Dutch, offering detailed descriptions of each tapestry, including fascinating details and new insights. Thanks to the digital format, the artworks are also included in the RKDimages database in RKD Research, along with information about their condition, provenance, and literature. Both the RKD Study and RKD Research are freely accessible online, making this data on the tapestries available to all.
Corpus tapestries in the Netherlands: European tapestries in Dutch public collections is published on www.rkdstudies.nl. The publication has been made possible with support from the Barbas-van der Klaauw Fund and the Carolijn Jongsma Fund (both part of the Culture Fund), the Ottema-Kingma Foundation and the Hendrik Muller Fund.