French 18th Century Aubusson Tapestry, Circa 1750

A spectacular and grand scale 17th century Flemish woven wool tapestry. This nine feet high and thirteen feet wide very decorative tapestry portray...

A most attractive and unusually wide French 18th century Louis XV period giltwood and Aubusson tapestry eight legged bench. The bench is elegantly raised by elongated 'S' scrolled ca...

A charming French 18th century Louis XV period Rosewood and ormolu side table circa 1750. The small scale table is raised by elegant slender cabriole legs with lovely foliate ormolu ...

An exceptional and large scale pair of Italian 18th century Tuscan St. giltwood hurricane lanterns, circa 1750. Each lantern is raised by handsome richly carved paw feet below the sq...

An elegant and wonderfully decorative French Louis XVI style late 19th century ormolu coffee table with an 18th century tapestry fitted top. The rectangular shaped ormolu table is raised by four foliate designed legs. The legs are joined by an 'X' stretcher with a circular mottled center. The top has flat sides and surrounds the fitted tapestry of a maiden holding a scale in one hand and a sword in the other. The maiden is flanked by two caryatid columns...

A very attractive and high quality French 18th century, walnut Vaissellier, dated 1791, from the Normandy region. The bottom frieze has a carved scalloped apron with a central shell. The doors, with lock and key, have a moulded central panel with scrolled borders, and open...

La Jeunesse (Youth) Tapestry Polychrome wool and silk France, Aubusson, circa 1750 It measures 107.08 in height x 104.33 in (272 cm height x 265 cm). State of conservation: good The tapestry is accompanied by the engraving from which the subject was taken. The engraving measures 23.50 in x 25.86 in (59.7 cm x 65.7 cm) with the frame. The Aubusson tapestry has controversial origins: some believe that it was the Saracens who imported this type of work into Europe while other authors believe that the production began at the same time as the marriage between Louis I of Bourbon and Maria de Hainaut in 1310. It was at this time that a considerable importation of tapestries from Flanders into France began, followed shortly thereafter by the importation of their production techniques. At the beginning of the seventeenth century a royal edict from Henry IV halted the importation of Flemish tapestries, contributing to the subsequent Expansion of Aubusson production. The status of royal manufacture was to be granted only in 1665, even though the Nantes edict caused a drop in production because of the forced migration of weavers to Germany. The full recovery and the success of the manufacturing took place during the eighteenth century when the great painters and the tapestry manufacturers began to collaborate. Great French artists of the time and specialist painters, the “cartonniers”, painted “cartons de tapisserie” in oil or tempera, all of which were to be a source for the tapestries. As an alternative to the “cartons”, scenes taken from prints and engravings were freely used. The tapestry in question, made of wool and silk, is in good condition; the colors are still fresh and the silks, which give brightness to the scene, are well preserved. There are a small number of integrative restorations present, while the lining and the suspension system have been recently refurbished. The work is made with a flat-weave, according to the custom of the Aubusson manufactures, which is clearly demonstrated by this work since it shows all the technical and material characteristics typical of the first half of the eighteenth-century production: the “Jeunesse” was probably woven in the middle of the XVIII century. The scene itself is compelling: a rural clearing is depicted, centered around a tall tree with dense fronds with lance-shaped leaves. In the shade of this tree some scenes of courtship can be seen. A couple hugs each other, one is caught stealing a kiss and another, lying softly on the grass, is still at the early stages of courtship: together with the suitor the girl looks with smiling malice at the kissing couple. On the right, two young men practice archery while aiming at a target placed on top of a pole. The scene, with male and female characters intent on games and gallantry in a festive atmosphere, is taken - faithfully, but in mirror-image - from an engraving, which in turn was itself taken from the painting (now kept at the National Gallery in London, inv. NG103 and part of a series with the four ages of man) by Nicolas Lancret, produced around 1735. The tapestry is accompanied by a copy of the engraving, which bears, at the bottom, the name of the author (“N. Lancret pinxit”), the name of the engraver (“N. De Larmessin sculpsit”) and four short verses on the subject of love disputes: Pourquoi tous ces combats si chers a la jeunesse, Quels frivoles talents veut-elle mettre au jour? Non: chacun voudroit vaincre aux yeux de sa Maitresse, La Lice est une Scène ou triomphe l’Amour. Why all these fights so dear to youth, What frivolous talents does it want to bring to light? No: everyone would want to win in the eyes of his Mistress, The Lice is a Scene where Love triumphs. At the bottom we read: “A’ Paris chez N. De Larmessin graveur du Roy Rue de Noyer à la 4 (?) porte cochère a droite entrant par la Rue St. Jacques A.P.D.R. [Avec Privilège Du Roy]”. Nicolas Lancret (1690-1743), along with Antoine Watteau, was a pupil of Pierre Durin and Claude Gillot...

A French Aubusson genre tapestry panel from the 18th century, envisioning a hunter walking with a rifle resting on his shoulder, with a stream and a castle in the distance, and the s...

A fine 18th-century Aubusson pastoral tapestry depicting a romantic tryst between a hunter and a shepherdess in a typically rural and architectural-themed landscape. The tapestry is ...

A French Aubusson chinoiserie verdure tapestry, 18th century. A small bird to the left, an acanthus bush in the center, and pagodas in the left distance, within a symmetrical scrolli...

A French Aubusson genre tapestry from the 18th century, featuring a rustic scene in which a youth plays his instrument for his damsel, who is reposing in the clearing of a forest. En...

A French Aubusson rustic tapestry from the 18th century, envisioning a wooded landscape in which several youngsters play leapfrog. Enclosed within a scrolling border of fruiting and ...