The use of tapestry hangings to commemorate military exploits has a long history. While for Renaissance audiences battles were often depicted full of violence and slaughter, the seventeenth century saw the emphasis move towards a celebration of the glorious commander, and the nobility of the victor. An exceptional example was set with the series Histoire du Roi woven for Louis XIV at the Gobelins in France from the 1660s, with scenes including his military victories. In the 1690s, a series of scenes of army life was woven in Brussels, designed by Lambert de Hondt for Elector Maximillian Emmanuel of Bavaria and subsequently commissioned by others including King William III; a document recording his purchase in 1700 provides its name, “d’Exercitie van den Oorloghe”, usually translated as the Art of War. One of the other purchasers of this first version of the Art of War series was John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. He later owned another series of tapestries depicting military scenes, this time his own victories in the War of the Spanish Succession. The relationship between them and a second version of the Art of War series was the subject of an important study by Alan Wace, incorporating research carried out in the 1930s, but published posthumously in 1968. Following the gift to the V&A of seven Art of War tapestries in 1972 from Mrs Josa Finney, Wendy Hefford undertook further research on the design and relationship between the different series, published in 1975 (see bibliography) .