The latest RKD Study Corpus Tapestries in the Netherlands is now available online, providing an overview of historical tapestries from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries that can be found in various collections throughout the Netherlands.
Decades of research
The Corpus Tapestries in the Netherlands presents detailed descriptions of hundreds of tapestries and tapestry-woven objects, the result of decades of research by Hillie Smit, supported by the late Professor Willemijn Fock of Leiden University. 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.
Tapestry workshop of Alexander Baert (1660–1719), Tapestries depicting the four continents allegorically, 1718, Leeuwarden city hall
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 works of art are held. The main catalogue is in Dutch, offering detailed descriptions of each tapestry, including fascinating details and new insights. The works are also included in the RKDimages database in RKD Research, along with information about their condition, provenance, and literature.