woven with a young woman holding the chain of a crowned lion, against swirling foliate tendrils, now mounted on linen covered wood frame.

By descent to the Vischer family

Schlöss Wildenstein, Basel-Land, Switzerland, sold Christie's London, July 3, 1🍃990, Lot 110

A. Baur, Baslerische und oberrheinische Bildteppiche de Spätgotik aus dem Besitz des Historichen Museums Basel und auswärtiger Sammlungen, Gewerbemuseum, Basel, 1936, no. 5. 

R. F. Burchkhardt, 'Ein aus Bruchstücken ergänzter, gewirkter, oberrheinischer Wandbehang', Jahresberichte des Historichen Museums Basel, 1918, no.46.

R. F. Burchkhardt, Gewirkte Bildteppiche des XV und XVI Jahrhunderts, Leipzig, 1923꧑, pp. 7-10, 27-2ꦦ8, no. 27f, fig.37. 

B. Kurth, Die deutschen Bildteppiche des Mittelalters, Vienna, 1926, 🅰I, pp. 85-86, 212-216, II, pls. 28-31 and 43, no. 90 and 215f, pl.43

H. Göbel, Wandteppiche, part III, I, Berlin, 1933, pp. 24 and 26.

A. Rapp Buri and M. Stucky-Schürer, Zahm und wild. Basler und Strasburge Bildteppiche des 15. Jahr., Mainz, 1990, p. 273, no.73.

The reds are slightly more pink in reality (less rust colored). There are restorations throughout the panel. These include areas visible as a light colored beige along the upper edge, portions or patches of the left and right sides and some small patches in the grass below (mainly around the feet of the woman). The colors are strong and the piece is stable.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

During the 15th century, the town of Basel was the second most important trading center on the Upper Rhine.  The Venౠetian envoy to the Vatican, Andrea Gattaro, recorded that the inhabitants of Basel decorated their living and reception rooms with magnificently colored tapestries, much like the present piece. 

Göbel (op. cit.) and Burckhardt (op. cit) discuss theཧ fact that the hair of the maiden here is blond human hair rather than wool, which may indicate its manufacture by a private person, as a gift to a lover.  The iconography is complex as with the majority of the allegorical Basel tapestries.  The stylized lion has a porcine snout and ears, which led Göbel to identify it with the vice of wantonness.