Pannemaker

   The Pannemaker family operated a major workshop in tapestry production in the 16th century. Pieter de Pan-nemaker (early 16th century) was court weaver to Margaret of Austria during the 1510s. Punished for attending Protestant sermons given by the Lutheran Claes ven der Elst in 1527, he was stripped of his official title but his penalty was later reduced to an annual fine. Pieter's son Willem (ca. 1510-1585) became one of the most powerful figures in the industry. His mark appears on many of the most valuable works acquired by the Hapsburg court from the 1540s to the 1560s. Willem was responsible for the production of the Conquest of Tunis, a major work woven between 1548 and 1554. He supplied tapestries to Cardinal Granvelle and the duke of Alba. Willem purchased the property of the van Aelst family in 1560.