Van der Goten, Jacob

Van der Goten Peeters, Jacob. The Elder. Brussels (Belgium), 1659 – Madrid, 1724. First master tapestry weaver of the Royal Tapestry Workshop of Santa Bárbara.

He was the son of Peter van der Goten and Wilhelmina Peeters, and was married to Anna Maria Canyuwel, with whom he had six children: Franciscus Ignatius, Jacob, Peter, Maria Theresa, Cornelius and Adriaan.

When the first Bourbon king ascended the throne, there were no industries in Spain that could fulfil the demand for luxury goods such as tapestries, carpets, porcelain, fine fabrics and clothing. Even everyday items such as cutlery, stockings and paper had to be imported.

Following the Treaty of Utrecht (1713-1714), which ended the War of Succession, the former Habsburg Netherlands had fallen into the hands of the Emperor of Austria. The tapestry industry in Antwerp and Brussels was already in decline and the conflict ended the import of Flemish tapestries, a practice established centuries ago by the Crown of Castille. Bernardo Cambí was charged by the minister Alberoni to convince the Flemish master Van der Goten, who did not require much persuading to dismantle his looms. This was viewed by the Austrians as tantamount to treason and an act of industrial espionage. They imprisoned the tapestry weaver for nine months in Antwerp Castle, razed his workshop to the ground, and confiscated his goods. Van der Goten achieved his release from prison at the cost of his health as well as his wealth. As soon as he was freed, he set out on a dangerous journey to Spain, accompanied by his wife, his six children and some of his former journeymen.

On 30th July 1720, the tapestry weavers arrived in Madrid, a city they would not leave until their deaths. They immediately requested permission to examine an old loom that was kept in the premises of the Tapestry Office, to verify whether it was a low-warp loom built in the Flemish style, on which Van der Goten was an expert.

Shortly after their arrival at the Court, the Van der Gotens and their four journeymen had taken up residence at the rustic Casa del Abreviador, which had by turns been the house of a papal breviator, a flour mill and later, a gunpowder store. The house was located outside the city walls, at the end of the Calle de Hortaleza street, past the gate of Santa Bárbara, on three hectares of land first leased and then purchased by Philip V so he could set up his Royal Tapestry Workshop there.

Source: Royal Academy of History