Pieter van Aelst

Belgian weaver

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July 23, 2026

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Pieter van Aelst was a Flemish weaver active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, known for his significant role in tapestry making. He was commissioned by Pope Leo X to create a series of tapestries based on Raphael's cartoons for Acts of the Apostles. This commission was a pivotal moment, establishing a trend where tapestry weaving became subordinate to painting for centuries. Brussels, where van Aelst was based, rose to prominence as a leading tapestry center, renowned for its skilled weavers and the quality of its output, often marked with city symbols to ensure authenticity.1

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tapestry
16th century
…X commissioned the famed weaver Pieter van Aelst (flourished late 15th–early 16th century) of Brussels to make a series of tapestries illustrating the Acts of the Apostles from cartoons produced between 1514 and 1516 by Raphael (1483–1520). Little or no concession had been made to the tapestry medium for which…
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…X commissioned the famed weaver Pieter van Aelst (flourished late 15th–early 16th century) of Brussels to make a series of tapestries illustrating the Acts of the Apostles from cartoons produced between 1514 and 1516 by Raphael (1483–1520). Little or no concession had been made to the tapestry medium for which…
Read More