Gerard Peemans was a master tapestry weaver in Brussels. He is thought to have started work on his looms in around 1660, and remained active until 1710. He worked at a time when Brussels was taking over from Antwerp as the number one tapestry making region. On 15 October 1665 he was granted privileges in the city of Brussels. He already had six looms manned by 14 weavers, and that number increased in the years that followed. He also collaborated with fellow-tapestry maker Guillaume van Leefdael from time to time. Towards the end of his life he was declared bankrupt, and part of what remained of his workshop was sold off at public auction in 1710-1711.
He was the son-in-law of renowned tapestry weaver Geraert van der Strecken. He inherited and later added to his father-in-law's large repertoire of cartoons and, like him, produced weavings in series. His models were painted by outstanding Flemish artists, mainly from the generation before his own, who took Baroque painting in Flanders to its splendid peak and whose reputations meant that they were in great demand from customers all over Europe. Among them was Peter Paul Rubens himself, whose work was the basis for the series Story of Achilles.
His main works include several runs of a series called Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, produced from cartoons by Justus van Egmont. Van Egmont also produced the designs from which he wove the Story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra and the series The Months of the Year, though the cartoons for the latter were actually painted by David Teniers III, inspired by the original compositions. He even used models by Raphael for a late-period run of The Acts of the Apostles. Other series themed around antiquity on which he worked include Story of Scipio and Hannibal, Caesar and the Emperors and Titus and Vespasian. He also used cartoons by Jacob Jordaens and French artist Charles-François Poerson.
Gerard Peemans was a master tapestry weaver in Brussels. He is thought to have started work on his looms in around 1660, and remained active until 1710. He worked at a time when Brussels was taking over from Antwerp as the number one tapestry making region. On 15 October 1665 he was granted privileges in the city of Brussels. He already had six looms manned by 14 weavers, and that number increased in the years that followed. He also collaborated with fellow-tapestry maker Guillaume van Leefdael from time to time. Towards the end of his life he was declared bankrupt, and part of what remained of his workshop was sold off at public auction in 1710-1711.
He was the son-in-law of renowned tapestry weaver Geraert van der Strecken. He inherited and later added to his father-in-law's large repertoire of cartoons and, like him, produced weavings in series. His models were painted by outstanding Flemish artists, mainly from the generation before his own, who took Baroque painting in Flanders to its splendid peak and whose reputations meant that they were in great demand from customers all over Europe. Among them was Peter Paul Rubens himself, whose work was the basis for the series Story of Achilles.
His main works include several runs of a series called Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, produced from cartoons by Justus van Egmont. Van Egmont also produced the designs from which he wove the Story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra and the series The Months of the Year, though the cartoons for the latter were actually painted by David Teniers III, inspired by the original compositions. He even used models by Raphael for a late-period run of The Acts of the Apostles. Other series themed around antiquity on which he worked include Story of Scipio and Hannibal, Caesar and the Emperors and Titus and Vespasian. He also used cartoons by Jacob Jordaens and French artist Charles-François Poerson.