Silk Furniture

Made with hand-knotted wool and silk, this 8x10 rug is an exciting new addition to Rug & Kilim's Scandinavian rug collection—a contemporary reimagining of Swedish Minimalism and vint...

Fascinating Japanese Showa period four-panel byobu screen depicting women shell gathering or clamming after the painting by Katsushika Hokusai (Japanese 1760-1849). The women are gat...

Lovely American hand held fan; hand painted subject on silk with fancy mother of pearl sticks; each with silver sequins border trim. Done in the Victorian manner with the main subjec...

The other two pillows are available from us too here on 1stdisbs. Excellent vintage condition.

FREEVOLLE Twist and go! The timeless “Made-in-Italy” celebrates the graceful Italian manufacture and offers new life expression at the Maison Sabrina Landini. Creativity explores ...

A rare and elegant French tapestry dating to circa 1850, showcasing a sophisticated botanical composition accented by a graceful bird motif. Woven with exceptional finesse, this textile reflects the influence of 19th century French decorative arts and the era’s fascination with nature, depth, and tonal harmony. The tapestry’s layered foliage and subtle transitions of color create a painterly visual quality, enhanced by a restrained palette of ivory, rose, sage, and warm neutrals. Framed by an antique gold toned border, the piece maintains strong decorative presence while remaining refined and timeless. An excellent example of mid 19th century French textile...

Aqua creations design atelier was founded by photographer Albi Serfaty and artist Ayala Serfaty in 1992. Taking its name from the sea, where all life started, the atelier unique sculptural lights are inspired by the organic shapes and forms...

A single Fortuny cushion in the Laotze pattern, in a discontinued colorway. With silk backs and silk bias edging. Filled with a 50/50 feather and down insert.

Mediterranean Spanish ceramic table lamp from Manises, Valencia, finished in a rich chocolate brown glaze and newly paired with a new white pleated silk lampshade. In full working or...

Extraordinary silk embroidery of an image depicting Mount Fiji while including traditional Japanese style architecture and a Japanese fisherman casting his net into the water, while ...

Gorgeous burgundy red silk pillow decorated with floral embroidery and tassels. Duck feather down inserts.

Lemon Yellow, Modern, Mid Century Inspired Grid and Line Design, Wool & Pure Silk, Hand Knotted Oriental Rug Primary materials: Wool & Pure Silk Latex: No Pile height: 0.25 ...

Suzani, a Central Asian term for a specific type of needlework, is also the broader name for the hugely popular decorative pieces of textile that feature this needlework in vivid col...

Turkestan SUSANI finely embroidered tapestry with warm typical colors: simply wonderful! ..With an interesting price. Every Turkoman girl must ha...

19th Century Silk Embroidered and Hand Painted Yacht Portrait by Thomas Willis (Danish-American: 1850 - 1925), circa 1890, a seascape with the schooner-rigged racing yacht CALYPSO wi...

A knife-edge rectangular accent pillow, made out of an Early 20th century Japanese Silk Obi. The Obi is the long sash that wraps around a k...

Naeko Chandelier by Kazuide Takahama for Sirrah. Designed in Japan circa 1970s. This light features a white silk fabric which is supported by brass c...

A beautiful pair of tapestry fragments, hand-woven in Flanders (now Belgium), circa 1580. At roughly 132 inches (11 feet) long, the fragments were, originally, vertical borders to a very large and brightly colored tapestry. The colors have maintained their vibrancy over the last 400+ years, with deep blue, brown, green, and red accents over a gold and cream background. Although the fragments do not have identical scenes, it is readily apparent that they originated from the same source. At the top of each fragment is a bearded warrior clad in golden armor with a flowing blue cape and green greaves. A shield rests on the ground, supported by the soldier’s left hand, while his right hand lifts a spear into the air. Towards the center of the textile is a pair of musicians, one strumming a lute, while the other plucks a lyre. At the bottom of each tapestry is a single female figure, well-dressed and sitting on a bench with one arm overhead. The remaining areas have been filled with fruit bouquets, architectural elements, and other figurative representations. A more recent navy blue border surrounds the scenes and the backs have been lined with a mauve colored linen. Our hand-woven tapestry borders...

Pair of Chic Sycamore and Gilt Bronze Art Déco Lamps in the Style of André Arbus. Custom silk shades included. Dimensions listed are the overall dimensions of the lamps with the sha...

an interesting wool with a printed portrait of a lady.

This is a semi mechanical Filaticio fabric and it is woven on an original loom from the 1850s. The Spinone fabric belongs to the Antico Setificio Fiorentino archives. This fabric can be used for all kinds of upholstery such as sofas, armchairs, seats, wall coverings, ottomans as well as drapery and pillows. The silk bourette composition gives a raw though luxurious feel to this fabric. The herringbone structure plays with the different colors of the stripes. Its one of the most traditional fabrics in Tuscany...

It does not come with an insert. Linen in the back. Zipper closure. Dry Cleaning is recommended.

An 11x12 rug from Rug & Kilim’s contemporary Texture of Color collection. The carpet enjoys an alluring personality with light gray hues relishing pale green...

Woven in the age of the third Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1722-35), this delicately coloured precious silk brocade is embellished by three parallel and offset rows of children holding a cornucopia of auspicious symbols. In the first horizontal row, the child is holding in one hand a closed lotus flower, symbol of honesty, goodness, beauty and purity, and in the other a stick which a pair of coins, an element belonging to the group of Eight Precious Things. The following row depicts the child holding on one hand the Paintings, one of the four symbols of literature and science, and a peach blossom on the other, a flower associated with Spring and rejuvenation. In between this main pattern we see an alternation of the bat motif (symbol of good luck), the plum blossom (symbolising the faithful, the resolute and the holy) and the butterfly (symbol of love, freedom, romance and beauty). The subtle polychromy of soft tones of green and peach is punctuated with touches of royal Chinese blue...

Hand knotted in wool and natural silk, this addition to Rug & Kilim’s New and Modern Collection draws an intriguing variety of inspirations from classic Art Deco rug patterns, em...

Vintage Brocade silk bolster pillows made from silk sari fabric in turquoise blue and gold colors. Set of two Indian Mughal style pillows with majestic pea...

Elegant Art Deco 1920s Rose Pink German Porcelain Flapper Half Doll Vanity Powder Puff This rare 1920s Art Deco German porcelain half doll captures the glamour and playful charm of ...

Inoue Kanshu (1807-1880) Zenga Tiger and Dragon 19th century Pair of framed Japanese paintings. Ink on silk. Dimensions (each): W. 114 cm x H. 115 cm (45” x 45”) Presented here ...

Unusual suzani from Early 20th Century. Uzbekistan. It has been relined with plain cotton.

This exceptional wingback chair was designed by Ottorino Aloisio in 1957. The chair was manufactured by the Turin workshop of Pier Luigi Colli. The ...

Iconic and unusual midcentury Scalamandre Silk Textile design called "Atomic Energy". A slubbed silk base in pale celadon green with hand printed evergre...

This is a silk- and metal-thread kum kapi prayer rug. It features a head design woven by Zareh Penyamin and bears the calligraphic signature mark of his in the metal thread at the ba...

This is a truly genuine one-of-a-kind Beige, THE SUNSET ROSETTES, Wool and Pure Silk, Hand Knotted, Oriental, Round Rug. It has been Loomed for months and months in the centuries-old...

Beautifully painted in fresh, lovely colors on silk, this depiction of nymph and satyr, clothed in gauzy costumes like a scene from a Ballets Russes production, was painted by Stephe...

Vintage Aubusson floral tapestry panel - hand woven with silk threads for the flowers and leaves and stems - set against a variegated brown wool background - suitable 'as is' for han...

19th century Antique Flemish Tapestry Pillow - throw cushion with incredible detail and texture. Style: Antique, Medieval, Flemish, Neo Renaissance, Allegorical Origin: Flanders, Bel...

Inspired by his copper series, Kwangho Lee and cc-tapis present The Color of Copper (TCOC), a collection of four hand-knotted rugs that reinterpret the oxidation process of this meta...

Rare large ceiling pendant with new thai silk shade in cream/white fabric on white lacquered metal mount. Model Carolin T549/6 in brass designed 1963 by Hans-Agne Jakobsson. Lamp it...

Shunga Unknown artist Meiji era, circa 1880 Hand-scroll mounted with 12 paintings Ink, pigment and gofun on silk Dimensions: Each image measures H. 23.2 cm x W. 34.4 cm (9.15” x 13.5”) The hand-scroll measures H. 28 cm x W. 540 cm (11” x 212”) A set of 12 late 19th century Japanese Shunga paintings mounted as a hand-scroll. Two of the leaves bear the signature and seal ‘Setsuzan’, although we are unable to confirm the identity of the artist using this art name. 6 of the 12 images are taken almost directly from Katsukawa Shuncho’s late 18th century woodblock series, ‘Erotic Pictures...

The suzani fragment on the frame is from a 19th C. Suzani. It is hand backed on linen and streched over a strecher and finished with a wooden frame. Ready to go on any wall. The ite...

Striking West German ceramic table lamp by Bay Keramik, distinguished by bold orange relief decoration over matte grey ribbed pottery and an exceptionally tall, architectural scale; ...

One of a kind Japanese folding screen, or byōbu, with six panels depicting a delicate and graceful scene of wild horses in a natural setting. Masterfully painted with ink and waterco...

A Tibetan Tiger rug, hand knotted in Nepal, silk and wool pile. This traditional Tiger rug design is typically found on antique rugs called Khaden. It describes a small sized rug of...

An 8x9 modern rug from the abstract styles in Rug & Kilim’s New & Modern Collection. Hand-knotted in wool and sheen silk, this quiet piece creates a gradience in pale pink and blue b...

Brass table lamp produced by Hans-Agne Jakobsson in Markaryd, Sweden. New wiring.

Stunning Japanese Wedding Kimono, hand painted with exceptional details in rich warm colores Has a red silk interior, wooden rod is NOT included An inc...

First the fragment has been hand backed on a linen fabric, then stretched over a wooden stretcher and finished with a wooden frame. E 20th Century. Uzbekistan Ready to go on a wall....

Marvelous Italian sculptural table lamp made of twisted solid brass and walnut wood, completed with a pleated off-white lampshade with brass rims. This incredibly elegant and unique ...

Handknotted in silk, a 10x14 piece from our new line of rugs in this collection inspired by antique Oushak rugs. On the Design: This piece enjoys an all over floral pattern in tone...

Japanese silvered metal jewellery box with enamelled top design of Mount Fuji, a dragon and flowers surrounding. The hinged top opens to the fine fuchsia pink silk interior.

Modern Wool and Silk Custom Rug: Size and color tailored to fit your space. Wool and Bamboo Silk with Hand-Knotted techniques for superior quality. Sourced from Nepal, estimated lead...

Regency period Sampler, 1827, by Maria Thurgood. The sampler is worked in silk threads on a linen ground, mainly in cross stitch. Meandering floral border. Colours silver, light brow...

Antique French Napoleon III box with inlaid bone decor, polished black color surface, natural silk textile inside. Includes key. After the renovation - very good condition. NOTE: Bu...

New Hand-Embroidered 100% Silk Cushion Cover – Authentic Uzbek Textile Art Elevate your home décor with this exquisite hand-embroidered Suzani cushion cover, crafted from 100% pure ...

Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti Le Jour et la Nuit Armchair, Ca. 1995 Edition Galerie Néotù, Paris, France Wrought iron with green patina and gold leaf, orange and beige stripe...

This impressive tapestry depicts the celebrated meeting of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, a subject long admired for its associations with wisdom, diplomacy, and enlightened ru...

An. early 20th C. finely embroidered suzani from Samarkand Uzbekistan. Borders missing.

Hand knotted "Vitesse" Rug 140, Florian Pretet and Lisa Mukhia Pretet Made to order dimensions can be ordered Dimensions: 140 x 200 cm Materials: 85% wool, 15% silk 100 knots/sq...

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...

Rhodes embroideries are renowned for their bold palettes, geometric structuring, and symbolic decoration. Such pieces were traditionally made for a bride’s dowry and used as bed vala...