Lodewijk van Schoor

The French classicising style of these models influenced artists like Lodewijk van Schoor and Lambert de Hondt the Younger to adopt a more lighthearted rendering of mythological subjects than was current in the Flemish Baroque canon.

This elegant style was important for the survival of the tapestry industry in Brussels, Antwerp and Oudenaarde, which had to contend with stiff competition of the French state-run Gobelins Manufactory.

[9][10] Van Schoor designed various tapestry series dealing with allegorical subjects, which were intended to serve as a fairly neutral decoration.

For instance, a tapestry of Earth from a series of the Elements attributed to the workshop of Jan Frans van der Hecke from the 17th century exists in a version with a classical architectural setting or a landscape background.

[12] Van Schoor typically depicted female personages in stately poses either seated or walking solemnly before or through majestic porches opening to a park.

[3] The cartoons he made for the tapestry workshops were often a collaborative effort with other artists such as Pieter Spierinckx, Augustin Coppens and Lucas Achtschellinck.