Brussels (Netherlands), c. 410 x 380 cm, mid-16th century, silk and wool weaving. The scene represents the defence of the Eucharist with the allegory of Faith, personified by a woman carrying a large cross and crowned by winged putti. To the left are the so-called defenders of the Eucharist, among them the Church Fathers St. Augustine and Pope Gregory XIII. The scene is framed by a large border, the upper section of which is decorated by festoons, at its centre a putto covering himself with a banderole inscribed in Latin. Large masks at the margins. Both vertical borders are truly sumptuous, depicting two lions at the lower end surmounted by figures that are connected to the Christian tradition. The cartoon for this tapestry clearly reveals Rubens’ hand, and a first bozzetto for the figures of the tapestry is preserved at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. A tapestry with a similar structure is owned by the Spanish National Heritage Ministry (Patrimonio Nacional) and is preserved in the “Descalzas Reales” convent near Madrid. Even without weaver's mark and municipal coat of arms this tapestry can be ascribed to the Brussels production, possibly very close to Franz van den Hecke, who already executed a Triumph of the Eucharist based on a cartoon by the Netherlandish master for Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (1566-1633), who served as Governor of the Southern Netherlands. The carpet is entirely preserved with partially replaced margins, the pastel colours in the main sections present age-related fading, some minor damage and repaired areas, mounted on linen fabric with bands for hanging. (MA) Lit.: Heinrich Göbel, Wandteppiche, Die Niederlande, volumes 1 and 2; Hermann Schmitz, Bildteppiche, Geschichte der Gobelinwirkerei.