Skip to main content

Silk Tapestries

3
580
224
8
to
135
416
354
812
659
697
98
35
10
9
7
7
5
5
4
3
3
2
1
1
1
186
218
176
232
60
74
31
12
1
8
3
2
7
8
7
5
1
Height
to
Width
to
4,030
2,782
855
812
199
392
356
208
153
120
50
36
24
21
14
Material: Silk
18th Century Fine Brussels Tapestry, Silk Wool, Green, Blue, Mythological Theme
Located in Port Washington, NY
This very fine Oudenaarde tapestry is one in the series related to the mythological story of Ulysses. It was woven in the late 18th century using t...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Belgian Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Japanese Art / Kimono Art / Tapestry, the King of Peacocks
Located in Shibuya City, Tokyo
This Kimono Tapestry, carefully and painstakingly embroidered by Japanese craftsmen, is the only one of its kind in the world. We are proud to present this tapestry, embroidered wi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk, Thread

Bobyrug’s Beautiful Antique French Aubusson Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice early 20th century French Aubusson tapestry with beautiful design of country scene and beautiful colors, entirely hand woven with wool an...
Category

Early 20th Century French Aubusson Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Silk

19th Century Persian Kerman Termeh Silk Embroidery Suzani in Red, Blue, Ivory
Located in Barrington, IL
The distinctive Persian Kerman Suzani (Termeh embroidery in Persian) comes from the ancient city of Kerman in Persia. The hand embroidered textile tapestry is on a red cloth background with embroidery designs in blue, purple, yellow, and brown. The Embroidered Textile piece is from the mid-1800s and is in wonderful condition. Traditionally in the Persian homes, they would use this piece as a table cover. The piece is also great to be displayed as a tapestry on the wall and away from direct sunlight to preserve its brilliant colors. Dimensions: 36" X 39" Date of Manufacture: 3rd Quarter of the 1800s Place of Origin: Persia Material: Silk embroidery on wool Condition: Good Persian Termeh embroidery, Kerman Termeh, Yazd Termeh, Kerman Embroidery, Antique Kerman Embroidery, Kerman Suzani, Antique Kerman Suzani, Antique Paisley Shawl...
Category

Late 19th Century Persian Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Silk

Late 19th Century Antique French Verdure Aubusson Tapestry Wall Art
By Jean-Baptiste Oudry
Located in Dallas, TX
78831 Antique French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, 06'10 x 09'08. Jean-Baptiste Oudry's French Aubusson verdure tapestries from the late 19th century are intricate textile works featur...
Category

Late 19th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

1950 Ford Car Dealership Silk Showroom Advertisement Banner Sign 50"
Located in Dayton, OH
1950 Ford car dealership silk banner. "The One Fine Car in the Low Price Field - The '50 Ford" Green background with text above and below the Ford triple lion coat of arms logo. Gold...
Category

1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Pair Of Antique Silk Ikat Wall Hanging
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Beautiful antique Ikat textile made of silk , cheerful colours , handmade by tribal man and female artists, circular and geometrical motifs ,professionally mounted and displayed in f...
Category

1910s Uzbek Vintage Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk, Bamboo, Glass

Monumental 18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry
Located in Miami, FL
Monumental 18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry Wool and silk tapestry verdure scenery depicting a peaceful scenery with lush trees and vegetation and birds in a pond. Vivid colors ...
Category

18th Century Belgian Baroque Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Tapestry Manufacture d'Aubusson 19th century - Scène Champêtre - N° 1413
Located in Paris, FR
A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....
Category

1890s French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

17th Century Hunt Scene Tapestry
Located in Houston, TX
17th Century French Hunt Scene Handwoven Tapestry with some wear spots as shown in the pictures
Category

17th Century French Baroque Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

17th Century Aubusson Tapestry Remnant
Located in Houston, TX
A fragment of a 17th-century Aubusson tapestry depicts a man on his knee looking upward, visited by a radiant angel. Rich colors and intricate details capture the moment of divine en...
Category

17th Century French Baroque Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Beauvais tapestry 19th - arrival of fishermen at the gate - H310xL230 - N° 1406
Located in Paris, FR
A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....
Category

1840s French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Large tapestry "Green leaves" 206 X 237 cm
Located in STRAČOV, CZ
This beautiful tapestry is a fine example of traditional craftsmanship. At first glance, it impresses with its richly decorated pattern, which is dominated by dark and earthy shades....
Category

20th Century Dutch Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Tapestry after design drawings by Francois Boucher Manufacture de Beauvais
Located in BORDEAUX, FR
We are proud to present to you an exceptional tapestry belonging to the famous wall hanging "Les Amours des dieux" from the Louis 15th period depicting the kidnapping of Europe from ...
Category

1750s French Louis XV Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Framed Antique Chinese Embroidery Panel Qing Dynasty Provenance
Located in Atlanta, GA
An antique Chinese embroidery panel, originally the sleeve band of a robe from Qing Dynasty, circa 19th century. Nicely presented as a...
Category

Mid-19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk, Wood

Hand-Woven Antique 17th Century Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, France
Located in San Francisco, CA
Large Classical French Tapestry, hand-woven of a blend of silk, wool and linen, features a serene landscape with a lovely floral border. The flowers, trees and sky are created in lus...
Category

17th Century French Baroque Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Linen, Silk

Verdure Aubusson tapestry signed - Couple of Deer in an Undergrowth - No. 1414
Located in Paris, FR
A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....
Category

1850s French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Bobyrug’s Antique Distressed Indian Bayadir Shawl
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Beautiful 19th century Kashmir bayadir shawl with nice design and beautiful natural colors, entirely hand embroidered with wool and silk on wool foundation. ✨✨✨ "Experience the epit...
Category

19th Century Asian Agra Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

17th century Antique Flemish Tapestry Wool & Silk Verdure Art Nouveau 4x6ft
Located in New York, NY
17th century Antique Flemish Tapestry Wool & Silk Verdure Art Nouveau 4x6ft 122cm x 178cm "This is a very fine high quality rare authentic Antique French Tapestry made with very f...
Category

1690s French Baroque Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century Antique French Tapestry Verdure Wool & Silk 7x11ft 213cm x 323cm
Located in New York, NY
18th Century Antique French Tapestry Verdure Wool & Silk 7x11ft 213cm x 323cm "This is very fine antique Flemish tapestry made of wool & silk depicting noblemen beneath a large verd...
Category

1690s French Baroque Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Antique Sampler Stitched in 1736, Scottish
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
George II period Sampler Stitched in 1736. Possibly of Scottish origin, suggested by the following characteristics: predominant green and red colouration, curlicues bordering the cen...
Category

1730s English Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Antique Sampler, 1787, by Marion Erskine
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Georgian Sampler, 1787, by Marion Erskine. The sampler is worked in silk threads on a linen ground, mainly in cross stitch. Meandering floral border. Colours green, blue, red, gold, ...
Category

1780s Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Incredible 17th- early 18th century Aubusson silk and wool tapestry 7’ x 9’ wide
Located in Charleston, SC
Incredible size and scale of this 17th-18th Century Aubusson tapestry city scape. Beautifully done with cranes, foilage, trees, river and town in the background. As picturesque as i...
Category

Early 18th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Antique Sampler, 1840, By Elizabeth Ann Fox
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Victorian Sampler, 1840, By Elizabeth Ann Fox. The sampler is worked in silk threads on a linen ground, mainly in cross stitch. Meandering strawberry border. Colours green, dark brow...
Category

1840s Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Regency Sampler, 1827, by Mary Ann Ragen
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Regency period Sampler, 1827, by Mary Ann Ragen. The sampler is finely worked in silk threads on a linen ground, mainly in cross stitch. Meandering strawberry border. Colours green, ...
Category

1820s Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Pair Antique Samplers, 1803, by Ruth Orsmond
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Pair Georgian Samplers, worked in 1803 by Ruth Orsmond. Both examples are worked in silk threads on a linen ground, mainly in cross stitch. The example with a house has a Meandering ...
Category

Early 1800s Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Pair of Sister Samplers, 1810, Priscella and H Trokes
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Pair of Sister Samplers, circa 1810, stitched by Priscella and H Trokes. PRISCILLA TROKES SAMPLER: This sampler is worked in silk threads on a linen ground, mainly in cross stitch. M...
Category

1810s Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Regency Sampler, 1825, by Mary Parry
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Regency period Sampler, stitched in 1825, by Mary Parry. The sampler is worked in silk threads on a linen ground, mainly in cross stitch. Meandering floral border. Colours green, cre...
Category

1820s Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Antique Moroccan Moorish Silk Textile Tapestry Wall Hanging Hiti
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Antique Moroccan Moorish Silk Textile Tapestry Wall Hanging Hiti Ottoman voided silk velvet wall covering. Silk velvet cut designs, light browns, yellow, cream and blue, the panel consist on two arches with Islamic floral designs. Antique textiles from early 1900s. Each arch panel is 62" height X 26"5 wide Antique silk...
Category

Early 20th Century Moroccan Moorish Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Bobyrug’s Wonderful Antique French Aubusson Fine Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful late 19th century French Aubusson tapestry with a nice gallant decor, hunting and beautiful colors, extremely finely hand woven with silk and wool. ✨✨✨ "Experience th...
Category

Late 19th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

17th Century Antique French Tapestry Verdure Wool & Silk Flowers 5x6
Located in New York, NY
17th Century Antique French Tapestry Verdure Wool & Silk Flowers 5x6 4'10" x 5'10" 147cm x 178cm 17th Century "This is a very fine high quality rare authentic Antique French Tapestr...
Category

1690s French Baroque Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

19th Century French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, Signed And Monogramed - N° 1401
Located in Paris, FR
A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....
Category

1840s French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Framed Antique Guiqzou Province Textile
Located in London, GB
A Chinese, traditional hand-woven textile from the southwestern Guiqzou Province. Framed behind glass, against a raw linen background.
Category

Early 1900s Chinese Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Cotton, Linen, Silk, Cut Glass, Beech

An 18TH Century Verdure Tapestry Of Large Scale
Located in London, GB
A fine eighteenth century verdure tapestry with lively greenery throughout showing dappled light on the trees, with a pair of pheasants in the foreground, and a clearing in the backg...
Category

Early 18th Century French Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Gorgeous 17th Century Antique Italian Silk Embroidery Textile 6'2" x 8'9"
Located in New York, NY
Gorgeous 17th Century Antique Italian Silk Embroidery Textile, Country of Origin: Italy, Circa Date: 17th Century
Category

17th Century Italian Greco Roman Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

17th Century French Verdure Tapestry
Located in Houston, TX
This exquisite 17th-century French Verdure tapestry captures the essence of pastoral beauty with its meticulously hand-woven wool intricacies. Measuring [dimensions], it transports v...
Category

17th Century French Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Extraordinary 18th Century Silk Panel - salmon pink and pale blue
Located in Charlottesville, VA
Extraordinary 18th Century silk panel, embroidered with whimsical deers, birds, horses, and flowers, a vibrant salmon and pale blue with a lower gold border. 19.5” h.x 192” w.
Category

18th Century Unknown Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Antique Indonesian Ceremonial Textile, Lampung People, Sumatra
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Tapis, Woman’s Ceremonial Skirt Paminggir people, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia Late 19th or early 20th century Silk, metallic thread, handspun cotton, natural and synthetic imported d...
Category

Early 20th Century Indonesian Tribal Silk Tapestries

Materials

Metallic Thread

Wonderful antique French Aubusson Tapestry museum medieval design
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful and Aubusson tapestry with a nice design featuring a part of the design of a medieval tapestry at a museum in Paris « La promenade » the promenade, a tapestry from the...
Category

Early 20th Century French Aubusson Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Early 19th Century Ukzbekistan Ikat Fragment
Located in London, GB
A fragment of the very best Bukhara quality ikat - fully saturated colour with 6 or 7 colours. Probably from a wall hanging. For references see: c.f. Goldman collection plates 17, 3...
Category

Early 19th Century Uzbek Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Nice French modern needlepoint Tapestry « Toffoli »
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
« La maternité » maternity Discover the exquisite beauty of this authentic needlepoint tapestry, meticulously hand embroidered . this masterpiece features a captivating design by L...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Silk

Wonderful mid century French Aubusson Tapestry medieval play chess
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful and Aubusson tapestry with a nice design featuring a medieval design with the king and queen playing chess, with beautiful colours, with yellow, green , brown, blue an...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

French Aubusson Tapestry Greenery 19th century - 1m92x1m50 - No. 1365
Located in Paris, FR
A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....
Category

Mid-19th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Beautiful 18th Century Aubusson Tapestry Fragment
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
A fragment of an Aubusson tapestry from 18th century, with a design of shepherds. Take a look at other Bobyrug items! , search by "Bobyrug" !
Category

Mid-18th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Embroidered Holy Spirit Panel
Located in New York, NY
Embroidered Holy Spirit panel. Antique embroidered doubled sided panel in paper with original antique seeded glass and gilt carved frame, Italy, l...
Category

Late 18th Century Italian Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Tapestry Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period 1738 at the Gobelins
Located in Madrid, ES
Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period , made in 1738 at the Gobelins One panel from a series of Gobelins tapestries depicting the History of Esther, illustrating Esther seated and attended by handmaidens, one washing her feet in golden basin, another fastening a bracelet, another offering a mirror, all observed by Mordecai, woven in the workshop of Michele Audran after a design by J. F. de Troy. The Toilet of Esther c.1778-85.Royal Collection Trust-Queens Audience Chamber Windsor Castle The Sketches for the Esther Cycle by Jean-François de Troy (1736) “and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mor’decai, ..., took for his own daughter.” (Est. 2:7) A supple and undulating genius, both a flattering portraitist and a prolix history painter, as well as a brilliant genre painter, in a gallant or worldly vein, Jean-François de Troy (Paris, 1679 – Rome, 1752), solicited, although he had passed the threshold of old age, a new royal commission up to his ambitions. To obtain it, he submitted – successfully - for the approval of the Bâtiments du roi (administration), seven modelli painted in 1736 with his usual alacrity. Inspired by one of the most novelistic texts of the Old Testament, the Book of Esther, these sketches in a rapid and virtuoso manner were transformed by the artist, between 1737 and 1740 into large cartoons intended to serve as models for the weavers of the Gobelins factory. Showing undeniable ease and skill in the composition in perfect harmony with the sensitivities of the times, the tapestry set met with great success. The Story of Esther perfectly corresponded to the plan of the Bâtiments du roi to renew the repertoire of tapestry models used for the weavers of the royal factories while it also conformed to the tastes of Louis XV’s subjects for a fantastical Orient, the set for a dramatic tale in which splendour, love and death were combined. Indeed, no tapestry set was woven in France during the 18th century as often as that of Esther. The series of modelli painted by de Troy during the year 1736 looks to the history of French painting and decoration under Louis XV as much as it does the history of the Gobelins. It probably counts among the most important rococo pictorial groups to have remained in private hands. First the Biblical source illustrated by De Troy which constitutes the base of one of the richest iconographical traditions of Western art will be considered. Then the circumstances and specific character of French civilisation during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV which contributed to making the theme of Esther a relevant subject, both attractive to contemporaries and remarkably in line with the sensitivities of the time will be elucidated. An examination of the exceptional series of sketches united here, the cartoons and the tapestries that they anticipate as well as a study of their reception will close this essay. The Book of Esther: A scriptural source at the source of rich iconography. The origin of the Esther tapestry set by Jean-François de Troy – origin and creation of a masterpiece According to the evidence of one of the artist’s early biographers, the chevalier de Valory, author of a posthumous elegy of the master, read at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 6 February 1762, it was apparently due to early16 rivalry with François Lemoyne (1688-1737), his younger colleague who had precisely just been appointed First Painter to the King in 1736, that had encouraged François de Troy to seek a commission allowing him to show off his ease and his promptitude at the expense of a rival who was notoriously laborious: “M. De Troy, retaining some resentment of the kind of disadvantage which he believed to have suffered compared with his emulator looked to regain some territory by making use of the facility his rival did not possess. Lemoyne was excessively long in the creation of his works,and M. De Troy of a rare celerity: consequently, with this particular talent, the latter offered to the court to make paintings appropriate to be executed at the Gobelins Factory; and it is to this circumstance that we owe the beautiful series of the Story of Esther, which would be sufficient alone to give him a great reputation.”17 Beyond the suspicion inspired by the topos, which still constitutes, more or less, a tale of rivalries between artists in ancient literature, there is probably some truth in what Valory reports although A.-J. Dezalier d’Argenville (who indicates rather spitefully that de Troy did not hesitate to “cut prices” to impose himself, benefitting from the productivity assured by the unlikely rapidity of his brush)18 proves to be more evasive: “As he looked to busy himself, he had offered to make the paintings that serve as models for the King’s tapestries cheaply: which did not please his colleagues. He was given a choice of two tapestry series to be made and he took the Story of Esther and that of Jason”.19 Whether or not the choice was actually left to de Troy (which would appear rather casual on the royal administration’s part all the same), it seems likely that the artist, whose contemporaries extol his “fire”, as the faculty of invention was then called, must have ardently aspired to the possibility of using on a very large scale the “creative genius” with which Dezallier d’Argenville credits him. The decoration of the private apartments, the fashion for which Louis XV had promoted at Versailles and Fontainebleau, offered little opportunity to excel in this area. Other than painting for altarpieces, only tapestries could allow comparison with Lemoyne who had been granted – unfortunately for him – a major decoration: the enormous ceiling of the Hercules Room at Versailles. Favoured by the recent improvement in France’s financial situation, the revival of patronage offered de Troy a commission fitting for him, in a field in which, however, he had hardly any experience. Anxious to renew the repertoire of models available to the Gobelins factory, the Duc d’Antin, surintendant des Bâtiments du roi from 1708 to 1736 followed by his successor, Philibert Orry comte de Vignory, gave him the task of producing seven large cartoons inspired by the Book of Esther corresponding to the brilliant sketches or modelli which de Troy had produced in one go, or almost (very few preparatory drawings can in fact be linked to the Esther cycle and all seem to be at the execution stage of the cartoons).20 Subjected to the approval of the Administration des Bâtiments according to the procedure in use for projects being planned for the Gobelins, sketches made rapidly during 1736 were approved and the project launched immediately. Thereupon came the news of François Lemoyne’s death, who, ground down by work and a victim of his private torment, committed suicide on 4 June 1737. Against all expectations, de Troy did not replace his rival in the position of First Painter (which remained vacant until the appointment of Charles Coypel in January 1747), which would perhaps have made him too obviously the beneficiary of the drama. The awarding of the position of Director of the French Academy in Rome came to console him while he had already produced (or he was in the process of finishing), in Paris, three of the seven cartoons of the cycle (The Fainting of Esther finished in 1737 and the Toilet and Coronation of Esther, both finished in 1738). De Troy, we can see, did not follow the order of the narrative but began with the subjects which apparently offered the least difficulty because he had already depicted them, or because they fall into a strong pictorial tradition (such is the case especially for the Fainting of Esther). He had hardly settled at the Palazzo Mancini in August 1738, when his first task which awaited the new director of the French Academy naturally consisted of honouring the royal commission and finishing without delay the final cartoons of the Story of Esther after the sketches he must have taken with him. As prompt as ever, de Troy discharged himself of the execution of the four remaining cartoons in only two years, by beginning with the largest format which allowed him to strike the imagination and to impose himself as soon as he arrived on the Roman stage: the Triumph of Mor’decai which was finished in 1739 (like Esther’s Banquet). The following year, the Mor’decai's Disdain and The Sentencing of Haman were brought to an end in the same Neo-Venetian style, obviously tributary to Veronese with its choice of “open” monumental architecture which is characteristic of the entire cycle.21 The series, it should be noted, was almost augmented with some additional scenes in the mid 1740s. Indeed, the first tapestry set finished at the Gobelins in 1744 proved to be unsuitable for the arrangement of the Dauphine’s apartments at Versailles for which it had been intended to decorate the walls the following year (cf infra). Informed of this, de Troy, considering that the story of Esther offered “several good subjects,” immediately offered to illustrate one or new subject among those “which could appear to be the most interesting”. The directeur des Bâtiments Orry, who managed the State’s accounts, obviously judged it less costly to have one of the tapestries widened to fill in the end of the Dauphine’s bedroom,22 which has probably deprived us of very original compositions, because de Troy had already illustrated the most famous themes, those that benefitted from a strongly established iconographical tradition and from which it was not easy to deviate The Tapestry Set of the Story of Esther Placed on the tapestry looms of the Gobelins at the end of the 1730s in Michel Audran’s workshop, the cycle created by de Troy aroused true infatuation. The few hundred tapestries made between 1738 and 1797 – all in high-warp tapestry and woven in wool and silk except for four in low-warp made in Neilson’s workshop – show the impressive success of a tapestry set that was without any doubt the most frequently woven of the 18th century in France. 29 Only three cartoons had been delivered by de Troy in 1738 when the first tapestry set was begun by Audran under the expert eye of Jean-Baptiste Oudry to whom the Directeur général des bâtiments, Philibert Orry had assigned the (weekly) supervision of the weaving. During the summer of 1738, the piece of the Fainting of Esther, which Oudry judged to be admirable, was finished. During the winter of 1742, Oudry informed Orry that about two ells of the Triumph of Mor’decai had been made “with no faults”,that the Coronation of Esther was finished and that the Esther at her Toilet “a very gracious tapestry” was “a little over half” finished. Exhibited at Versailles in 1743, these two last pieces were admired by Louis XV and the Court. On 3 December 1744, the set of seven tapestries was finally delivered to the Garde Meuble. It was intended, the honour was not slight, to decorate the apartments of the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain whose marriage to the young Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand had been fixed for the following year (it took place on 23 February 1745). Apparently it was thought that the theme of Esther the biblical heroine and wife of a foreign sovereign was appropriate for the apartments of the Spanish Dauphine. As early as the month of March, the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel informed de Troy that her grand cabinet was decorated with the “Esther tapestry set” specifying however that “for lack of two small or one large piece, we have not been able to decorate the end of the room”. This difficulty led immediately to the Banquet episode being woven a second time in two parts (they were delivered to the Garde-Meuble on 30 December 1746) to garnish the panels on each side of the bed of the Dauphine who would hardly enjoy them (she died on 22 July 1746 and the decoration was installed for the new Dauphine Maria Josepha of Saxony). The appearance of the set’s remarkable border, which imitated a richly sculpted wooden frame, should be mentioned. Conceived in 1738 by the ornamentalist Pierre Josse-Perrot and used in the later weavings until 1768, it tended to reinforce the resolutely painterly appearance of the tapestry set which, in this regard, pushed the art of tapestry as far as its ultimate mimetic possibilities. With the exception of Mor’decai's Disdain which had been removed earlier, the “editio princeps” of the story of Esther (from then on in nine pieces) remained at Versailles until the Revolution. Of the eight surviving tapestries, four are at the chateau of Compiègne and four belong today to the Mobilier National. No less than seven tapestry sets reputed to be complete (one of them in fact only had six tapestries) would be produced officially at the Gobelins up to 1772. Literature: 1- The Œuvres mêlées of an emulator of Racine, the Abbé Augustin NADAL thus include an Esther. Divertissement spiritual which is exactly contemporary with Jean François de Troy’s cycle since it was performed in 1735 and published in Paris three years later. 2-Le Siècle de Louis XIV, 1751, 1785 ed., p. 96-97 for French ed. 3- Lemoyne and de Troy had been obliged to share the First Prize in the competition organised in 1727 between the most prominent history painters of the Académie Royale. 4- Mémoires…, pub. L. DUSSIEUX et al., 1854, II, p.265. 5-The fact that de Troy, at the risk of falling out with his colleagues, did not hesitate to make use of prices in order to convince the new directeur des Bâtiments Philibert Orry, is confirmed by Mariette who adds tersely “it caused much shouting” (pub. 1851-1860, II, p. 103). 6- Abrégé de la vie des plus fameux peintres…, ed. 1762, IV, p. 368-369 20 Early comments on the painter are inclined to present him as a kind of “pure painter”, doing without the medium of drawing, a few intermediary studies between the Esther sketches and the large cartoons at the Louvre nevertheless show that de Troy used red chalk (see in the catalogue, the notice for the Meal of Esther and Ahasuerus under the entry drawing) to change one or other figure. 7-C. GASTINEL-COURAL (cat. exp. PARIS, 1985, p. 9-13) as well as the article by J. VITTET, exh. cat. LA ROCHE-GUYON, 2001, p. 51-55. 8-The Hermitage in St. Petersburg conserves five tapestries of these two royal gifts whose provenance still awaits elucidation (as far as we are aware). In 1766, the Grand Marshal of Russia, Count Razumovski (or Razamowski), acquired the Fainting and the Banquet extracted from the sixth weaving (J. VITTET, 2001, p. 53). 9- Lettres écrites de Suisse, d’Italie…,quoted by J. VITTET, op. cit., p. 54. 10-The tapestry set remained in the hands of a branch of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family until 1933 (ibid. P. 54). 11-Quoted by Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, p. 97, note 269. 12-Y. CANTAREL-BESSON, 1992, p. 241. Catalogue The Esther at her Toilet Oil on canvas, 57 x 51 cm Provenance: Painted in 1736 at the same time as the six other modelli of the Story of Esther intended to be presented, for approval, to the direction des Bâtiments du Roi; perhaps identifiable among a lot of sketches by Jean-François de Troy in the post mortem inventory of the amateur, historian and critic Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786) drawn up on 13 January 1786 and following days (A.N. T 978, n° 30) then in the sale of the property of the deceased, Paris, 12 June 1786, n° 33; Paris, François Marcille Collection (who owned a series of six sketches from which the Triumph of Mor’decai was missing, see infra); Paris, Marcille Sale, Hôtel Drouot, 12-13 January 1857, n° 36; Asnières, Mme de Chavanne de Palmassy ( ?) collection; Paris, Galerie Cailleux; Paris, Humbert de Wendel collection (acquired from the Galerie Cailleux in 1928); by inheritance in the same family; Paris, Sotheby’s, 23 June 2011, n° 61. In order not to add unnecessarily to the technical commentary on each work, the catalogue raisonné by Chr. Leribault which contains a substantial bibliography on the series should be referred to. The other bibliographical references only concern the publications and exhibitions to have appeared and been presented more recently. Bibliography and Exhibitions: Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, n° P. 247 (repr.); E. LIMARDO DATURI, 2004, p. 28; Exh. cat. NANTES, 2011, p. 138, n° 34, referred to in note 1; Sotheby’s catalogue, Tableaux anciens et du XIXe siècle, 23 June 2011, n° 61 (repr.). Related Works: Tapestry cartoon: The cartoon (oil on canvas, 329 x 320 cm), the third made by the artist in Paris after the sketches had been approved by the direction des Bâtiments, is in the Louvre (Inv. 8315). It previously bore the painter’s signature and the date 1738 (inscriptions which are found on the tapestries). The royal administration paid 1600 livres for it on 21 June 1738 and it was exhibited at the Salon in the year of its creation. Summary Biography 1679 (27 January): Baptism in Paris (Parish of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet) of Jean-François de Troy, son of the painter François de Troy and Jeanne Cotelle, sister of the painter Jean II Cotelle. 1696-1698: Studies (apparently rather turbulent) at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. 1698-1708: First trip to Italy. Is obliged to leave Rome in January 1711 after a tempestuous affair (a duel?), de Troy extends the traditional Roman experience as a pensionnaire at the Académie de France by also visiting Tuscany where he stays for a long time, Venice (his art in face has a strongly Venetian character) and Genoa. 1708: De Troy (whose father had been elected Director of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 7 July) is agréé and immediately received at the Académie with Apollo and Diana Piercing with their Arrows the Children of Niobe (Montpellier, Musée Fabre) on 28 July. 1710: First royal commission, paid for on 10 May (a sketch representing “the Promotion of the Order of the Holy Spirit” for the tapestry series of the History of the King). 1716: Jean-François de Troy is elected Assistant Professor at the Academy. 1720: He is appointed Professor. 1723: The artist creates the double portrait of Louis XV...
Category

Early 18th Century French Baroque Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk, Wool

Pretty Vintage Tribal Silk Moroccan Kilim
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Mid century Moroccan Berber Kilim with a tribal design and nice colors with a yellow field color, entirely hand woven with silk and cotton.
Category

Mid-20th Century Moroccan Tribal Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

19th Century Persian Kerman Termeh Silk Embroidery Suzani in Red, Blue, Ivory
Located in Barrington, IL
The distinctive Persian Kerman Suzani (Termeh embroidery in Persian) comes from the ancient city of Kerman in Persia. The hand embroidered textile tapestry is on a red cloth background with embroidery designs in blue, purple, yellow, and brown. The Embroidered Textile piece is from the mid-1800s and is in wonderful condition. Traditionally in the Persian homes, they would use this piece as a table cover. The piece is also great to be displayed as a tapestry on the wall and away from direct sunlight to preserve its brilliant colors. Dimensions: 36" x 34" Date of Manufacture: 3rd Quarter of the 1800s Place of Origin: Persia Material: Silk embroidery on wool Condition: Good Persian Termeh...
Category

Late 19th Century Persian Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Silk

Mid 19th Century Hand Embroidered “Kashmiri Pieced Shawl” in “Butterfly” Pattern
Located in Barrington, IL
Mid 19th Century hand embroidered and hand crafted “Kashmiri Pieced Shawl” in “Butterfly” pattern in red, black, turquoise, and ivory Colors. This is an extremely rare shawl and is known as "Kashmiri Pieced Shawl" which is a hand embroidered and hand sewn piece to create the shawl. It is made of antique textile pieces that have carefully been sewed together to make a beautiful design. The Kashmiri shawls became an extremely fashionable item of clothing when Queen Victoria started wearing them. Most of the antique shawls known today are the “Paisley” shawls from the 1800s that used the concept and design of this original piece and were machine woven in the town of Paisley Scotland...
Category

Mid-19th Century Indian Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Silk

19th Century Silk & Velvet Panel
Located in Maidstone, GB
An fine 19th Century Silk and Velvet Needlework Panel, possibly English. The long panel depicting Putti surrounded by animals and birds. 72 inches (183cm) x 13 inches (34 cm).
Category

Mid-19th Century British Early Victorian Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Thread, Silk, Velvet

19th Century French Aubusson Tapestry, Finely Woven, Nude Woman, Soft Colors
Located in Port Washington, NY
This 19th-century Aubusson tapestry depicting a young lady walking and dancing through the forest while playing the tambourine is a captivating masterpiece that captures the essence ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Dutch Contemporary Textile Art Under the Blue Sky by Femke van Gemert
Located in Amsterdam, NL
When witnessing the tremendous amount of waste generated by fast fashion – an industry she worked within for many years – Femke van Gemert realised it was time for her to follow her ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Organic Modern Silk Tapestries

Materials

Leather, Textile, Silk, Yarn

Dutch Contemporary Abstract Textile Art Mood Swing by Femke van Gemert
Located in Amsterdam, NL
When witnessing the tremendous amount of waste generated by fast fashion – an industry she worked within for many years – Femke van Gemert realised it was time for her to follow her ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Organic Modern Silk Tapestries

Materials

Leather, Textile, Silk, Yarn

Aubusson Tapestry - The Dog And Pheasant After Jean-baptiste Oudry - N° 1398
By Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Aubusson Manufacture
Located in Paris, FR
A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....
Category

1850s French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Antique Japanese Embroidered Silk Kesa Monk's Robe Edo Period
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Japanese Kesa (Monk's Vestment) made from thirteen columns of patchworks of fine shimmering silk fabric of a salmon orange color, the shade of which changed subtly from different a...
Category

19th Century Japanese Edo Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Brocade, Silk

Wonderful Fine Antique French Aubusson Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful and fine Aubusson tapestry with a nice design featuring two cows under the tree , with beautiful natural colours, with yellow, beige, brown and green, entirely and fin...
Category

Early 1900s French Aubusson Antique Silk Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Magnificent Bargello Flame Stitch Antique Italian Silk Textile 3'10" x 6'
Located in New York, NY
Magnificent Bargello Flame Stitch Antique Italian Silk Textile, Country of Origin: Italy, Circa date: 1900
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Greco Roman Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Professionally Framed Ikat Fragment, Tajikistan, Early 20th C.
Located in Istanbul, TR
It has been hand backed on linen and stretched over a stretcher , and finished with the wooden frame. Ready to go on any Wall.
Category

Early 20th Century Tajikistani Silk Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Recently Viewed

View All