Aubusson Tapestry Depicting a Pastoral Scene, French, circa 1900

A Louis XVI style Canapé, upholstered with Aubusson tapestry depicting a scene from Aesop’s Fables. French, circa 1880. The small town of Aubusson, on the River Creuse in France, had a long history of producing elaborate and costly tapestries. They were known for their elegance and delicate colouring and often depicted romantic pastoral scenes derived from artists such as Boucher; historic scenes, inspired by classical mythology; or more formalized architectural vistas. Aubusson was particularly noted for its finely balanced compositions of garlands and bouquets which became famous and sought after throughout Europe. Aesop was by tradition a labourer who was a contemporary of Croesus and Peisistratus in the mid-sixth century BC in Ancient Greece. The various collections that go under the rubric "Aesop's Fables" are still taught as moral lessons and for centuries have been influential subject matter for artistic endeavour. The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf: In a village was a young boy who had a job watching the village's sheep. Two times he called out, "Wolf! Wolf!" Each time the villagers came running to help the boy. And both times the boy just laughed at the villagers and called them names. But then the wolf really did come and start eating the sheep. The boy called, "Wolf! Wolf!" but the villagers just ignored his calls. They thought he was just trying to trick them again. The wolf took his time and had a huge meal of the entire flock of sheep. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Once upon a time there was a wolf who decided to disguise himself so he could get some food without working too hard. He took a sheep's skin and hung it over his body. Then he went into the sheep pasture and pretended to graze with the sheep. He fooled everyone. Even the shepherd didn't realize she had a wolf grazing with her sheep. Soon the shepherd moved the sheep into the barn and the wolf went with them. The barn door was closed and locked and the wolf was just about ready to have a nice meal when the shepherd came back. She decided she wanted some food for her meal. She grabbed the wolf who was still disguised as a sheep and killed him for her meal. The Wolf and the Crane: One day a wolf had a bone stuck in his throat. He called to a crane and hired him for a large sum of money to put her head in his mouth and remove the bone. The crane did as she was hired to do and got the bone out and then asked to be paid. The wolf just grinned and said, "Ha! You've already been paid. I let you take your head safely out of my mouth when I could have crushed you with my powerful jaws”. The Wolf and a Mountain Goat: One day a wolf looked up and saw a mountain goat eating on a ledge high up on the side of a steep mountain. The wolf called out to the goat, "You should come down here to eat, you might fall if you stay up there. And the grass is very tender down here." But the mountain goat was too smart for the wolf and called back, "I don't think you are worried about my dinner. You are just looking for your own food!" The Wolf and the Lamb...

A fine KPM porcelain plaque depicting a scene from Shakespeare's Play Othello, after the painting by Carl Ludwig Friedrich Becker, (German, 1820-1900).  Signed ‘R. Wagner’. Impressed mark to the reverse ‘KPM’ (Konigliche Porzellan...

A fine Louis XV style gilt bronze-mounted Vitrine with a Brèche d’Alep Marble Top By Franc¸ois Linke Signed to the reverse of the lock ‘CT LINKE/ PARIS’. Linke index number 208. Th...

A fine Louis XV Style gilt bronze mounted table Vitrine, by François Linke, the mounts designed by Léon Messagé. Index Number 131. This elegant tabl...

A Louis XVI Style Beechwood and Aubusson Tapestry Five-piece Salon Suite. Comprising a canapé and four fauteuils, the beechwood frames crisply carved with beading, stylised petals a...

A Louis XVI Style Giltwood and Aubusson Tapestry Five-Piece Salon Suite. This suite of seat furniture comprises four fauteuils or open armchairs of generous proportions and a canapé...

A fine and exuberant late 19th century Aubusson tapestry, depicting a gallant scene in a pastoral setting. Two maidens recline in a small boat on a river, against a background of tre...

This large and elegant antique tapestry was crafted in Aubusson, France, circa 1760. The colorful wall piece features a country garden scene with goats, architectural elements and a ...

A vibrant and playful Aubusson tapestry depicting the typical French scenery of castle surrounded by a forest with birds and river in the foreground. ...

Make a statement in your home with this large antique tapestry from France. Handwoven in Aubusson in the style of Boucher, circa 1750, thi...

Since 1991, a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower, we have been a family business specializing in the Purchase, Sale, Traditional Cleaning, Restoration - Conservation, Expertise - Es...

This elegant, antique tapestry was handwoven in the city of Aubusson, France, circa 1750. The iconic tapestry, "The Pastoral Meal" with foliage decor on both sides, features a joyous pastoral scene in the manner of David Teniers, with people eating and chatting around a wooden table and benches. There is also two people dancing with a flute player, and a dog asking for leftover food. The wall hanging tapestry with its original border, is in excellent condition and has a rich colors in the soft blue, beige and green palette. A new canvas backing was added for protection. The Aubusson tapestry manufacture of the 17th and 18th century managed to compete with the royal manufacture of Gobelins tapestry and the privileged position of Beauvais tapestry. Tapestry manufacture at Aubusson, in the upper valley of the Creuse in central France, may have developed from looms in isolated family workshops established by Flemings that are noted in documents from the 16th century. Typically, Aubusson tapestries depended on engravings as a design source or the full-scale cartoons from which the low-warp tapestry-weavers worked. As with Flemish and Parisian tapestries...