The Tapestry Collection of the Prince-Bishops of Liege in the 16th Century: New Evidence from Archival Sources

The luxury industry of tapestry weaving has long been associated with the rich and powerful rulers of the European countries. In recent years, one of the most prolific approaches in this field is the history of collections. Within the Southern Netherlands, the numerous tapestries racked up by the Habsburg have widely caught the attention of researchers. Stimulated by the example of the sovereigns, the leading nobility were also fervent tapestry enthusiasts, especially Flemish ones. Surprisingly, the collections of the prince-bishops of Liège have largely escaped scholarly attention. Our current research project aims to continue the investigation on the basis of still unexplored sources.
In this paper, I will determine what survives and is acceptable as secure evidence for the presence of tapestry in the Principality of Liège since the reign of Cardinal Érard de la Marck (r. 1506-1538) up to the reign of Ernest of Bavaria (r. 1581-1612). I will exploit that evidence to give an overview of the different types of owners and their collections, the character of the works they commissioned or bought, their means of collecting, their agents, their likely reasons or intentions in collecting, and the use to which they put Netherlandish and French tapestry.