Triumph of peace

"Triumph of Peace", a Belgian tapestry mural, hangs in the Delegates' lobby of the General Assembly building. The countless delegates and visitors who climb the stairs to the General Assembly room each day pass this truly impressive Flemish tapestry, a beautiful art-deco masterpiece woven by the De Wit workshop in Mechelen.

Its size of around 150 m² makes it one of the largest tapestries in the world, and it is definitely the most visible work of art on display in the building.

It was designed by the Antwerp artist Peter Colfs who painted portraits, (allegoric) figures, village and city views, flowers and still lives in a neo-expressionist style. Also he made many murals and designed tapestries. He became famous when winning the contest for designing the tapestry that was donated to the United Nations by the Belgian government in 1954.

In 1991, department heads of the renowned Sotheby's auction house made an informal rating of the works of art at United Nations Headquarters. They listed Triumph of peace in Class 1: highly important work of art, sought after, historically significant.

In August 2008 the Royal Manufacturers De Wit donated the enormous loom that was used to weave the tapestry to the city of Mechelen.

Stamp catalogue

Belgium 5 December 1960

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last revised: 24 November 2008