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18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

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Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Zabihi Collection Late 18th Century French Tapestry
Zabihi Collection Late 18th Century French Tapestry

Zabihi Collection Late 18th Century French Tapestry

Located in New York, NY

a late 18th-century French tapestry Measures: 5'4'' wide x 7'3'' long. Tapestries make integral part of the Flemish cultural heritage. Most of the tapestries have religious, mythol...

Category

French French Provincial Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Beautiful antique fine 18th century french needlepoint tapestry
Beautiful antique fine 18th century french needlepoint tapestry

Beautiful antique fine 18th century french needlepoint tapestry

Located in Saint Ouen, FR

Elegant 18th-century French petit point tapestry, beautifully hand-stitched with fine detail and rich colors. This charming piece depicts a lively pastoral scene with figures in peri...

Category

French Medieval Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Silk

Nice 18th century Aubusson tapestry «hunting with hound »
Nice 18th century Aubusson tapestry «hunting with hound »

Nice 18th century Aubusson tapestry «hunting with hound »

By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson

Located in Saint Ouen, FR

Beautiful 18th-century Aubusson tapestry depicting an elegant hunting scene set in the heart of a wooded landscape. The composition features riders accompanied by dogs, in pursuit of...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

17th Century French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry
17th Century French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry

17th Century French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry

Located in New York, NY

A French Aubusson verdure landscape tapestry from the 17th century, featuring a paradisiacal vision of a remote cottage with a beautiful waterfall placed within a lush lakeside setti...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Late 17th Century French Aubusson Mythological Tapestry, with Pan and Syrinx
Late 17th Century French Aubusson Mythological Tapestry, with Pan and Syrinx

Late 17th Century French Aubusson Mythological Tapestry, with Pan and Syrinx

Located in New York, NY

A French Aubusson mythological tapestry from the late 17th century. This tapestry describes the myth of Pan and Syrinx after Ovide’s Metamorphoses. The God Pan pursues the nymph of t...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Rothschild Antique Chinese Ningxia Square Rug with Florals
Rothschild Antique Chinese Ningxia Square Rug with Florals

Rothschild Antique Chinese Ningxia Square Rug with Florals

Located in Long Island City, NY

Hand-knotted in wool and originating from 18th century China, this 13x13 antique rug is extremely special for its beauty and its outstanding large size among works curated from this ...

Category

Chinese Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Late 18th Century French Landscape Tapestry
Late 18th Century French Landscape Tapestry

Late 18th Century French Landscape Tapestry

Located in New York, NY

A French landscape tapestry from the late 18th century, envisioning a series of cottages on verdant hills at center, flanked by large stately...

Category

French Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique 17th Century Flemish Tapestry with the Liberal Arts & Areas of Knowledge
Antique 17th Century Flemish Tapestry with the Liberal Arts & Areas of Knowledge

Antique 17th Century Flemish Tapestry with the Liberal Arts & Areas of Knowledge

Located in New York, NY

Antique 17th century Flemish tapestry with the Liberal Arts & Areas of Knowledge An antique 17th century Flemish genre tapestry panel, size 13'1 H x 9'0 W, depicting the Liber...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

1750s Red Tribal Antique Turkish Ghiordes Prayer Rug 4'x6' Knotted Wool Carpet
1750s Red Tribal Antique Turkish Ghiordes Prayer Rug 4'x6' Knotted Wool Carpet

1750s Red Tribal Antique Turkish Ghiordes Prayer Rug 4'x6' Knotted Wool Carpet

Located in New York, NY

Mid 18th Century Turkish Ghiordes Prayer Carpet ( 4' x 6' - 122 x 183 ) Antique Ghiordes Small Scatter Size Wool Coral Rug, Circa Date: 1750s. This exceptional example of Ottoman ...

Category

Turkish Tribal Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

18th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry Handmade Wool & Silk 1x8 31cm x 244
18th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry Handmade Wool & Silk 1x8 31cm x 244

18th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry Handmade Wool & Silk 1x8 31cm x 244

Located in New York, NY

A very fine authentic 18th century Flemish tapestry handcrafted in wool and silk, depicting noblemen within an intricate verdure setting rich in detail and historical charm. This exc...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

16th Century Flemish Tapestry
16th Century Flemish Tapestry

16th Century Flemish Tapestry

Located in Brooklyn, NY

A magnificent Biblical tapestry in wool and silk likely made in the Flemish weaving center of Oudenaarde. With a history of tapestry production dating to 1368, the city created some of the finest tapestries of late Medieval and Renaissance Europe that were widely sought after across the continent. The 16th century...

Category

Belgian Renaissance Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Louis XIV Style Antique French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, Venus and Adonis
Louis XIV Style Antique French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, Venus and Adonis

Louis XIV Style Antique French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, Venus and Adonis

By Peter Paul Rubens, Gobelins Royal Manufactory, Francesco Albani

Located in Dallas, TX

Mid-18th Century Antique French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, Venus and Adonis Wall Hanging 13'09 x 09'05. A rare jewel from the heart of 18th-century France, this handwoven wool and silk Aubusson verdure tapestry offers more than aesthetic beauty—it is a portal to a bygone era of aristocratic grandeur and mythological reverence. Woven by master artisans whose skill and devotion were reserved for the noble elite, this extraordinary tapestry captures the romantic tragedy of Venus and Adonis in a style that pays homage to the great Italian Baroque painters—Francesco Albani...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

16th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry. 11 ft 4 inx12 ft 10in
16th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry. 11 ft 4 inx12 ft 10in

16th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry. 11 ft 4 inx12 ft 10in

Located in New York, NY

16th Century Antique Flemish King Solomon Tapestry, Country Of Origin: Belgium, Circa Date: 16th Century. Size: 11 ft 4 in x 12 ft 10 in (3.45 m x 3.91 m)

Category

Belgian Renaissance Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Antique Flemish Verdure Pictorial Tapestry in Blue and Cream Tones - Rug & Kilim
Antique Flemish Verdure Pictorial Tapestry in Blue and Cream Tones - Rug & Kilim

Antique Flemish Verdure Pictorial Tapestry in Blue and Cream Tones - Rug & Kilim

Located in Long Island City, NY

Handwoven in wool, this 8x10 Flemish Verdure tapestry from the late 17th Century is a rare and special new curation from Rug & Kilim—featuring a particularly popular aesthetic with l...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Gorgeous Antique Large 17th century Aubusson Tapestry historical battle scene
Gorgeous Antique Large 17th century Aubusson Tapestry historical battle scene

Gorgeous Antique Large 17th century Aubusson Tapestry historical battle scene

By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson

Located in Saint Ouen, FR

Very beautiful and rare 17th century French Aubusson tapestry with a nice design in style of Louis XVI, featuring a historical battle probably from Alexander or a Roman battle, conqu...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Silk, Wool

Bobyrug’s Beautiful Little 18th Century French Needlepoint Fragment Tapestry
Bobyrug’s Beautiful Little 18th Century French Needlepoint Fragment Tapestry

Bobyrug’s Beautiful Little 18th Century French Needlepoint Fragment Tapestry

Located in Saint Ouen, FR

Nice little French needlepoint tapestry with beautiful floral design and nice natural colors, entirely hand embroidered with needlepoint method with wool. ✨✨✨ "Experience the epitom...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique 17th Century Flemish Mythological Tapestry, with the Courtship of Apollo
Antique 17th Century Flemish Mythological Tapestry, with the Courtship of Apollo

Antique 17th Century Flemish Mythological Tapestry, with the Courtship of Apollo

Located in New York, NY

An antique 17th century Flemish mythological tapestry, size 9'1 H x 12'8 W, envisioning The Courtship of Apollo, with the Greek deity Apollo at left with his lyre and laurel garland,...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Late 17th Century Franco-Flemish Rustic Tapestry
Late 17th Century Franco-Flemish Rustic Tapestry

Late 17th Century Franco-Flemish Rustic Tapestry

Located in New York, NY

A Franco-Flemish rustic tapestry, possibly Lille or Aubusson, from the late 17th century, featuring a rustic scene with a group of people singing and playing music in a verdant setti...

Category

European Rustic Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Antique European Flemish Tapestry with Roman Narrative Pictorial - Rug & Kilim
Antique European Flemish Tapestry with Roman Narrative Pictorial - Rug & Kilim

Antique European Flemish Tapestry with Roman Narrative Pictorial - Rug & Kilim

Located in Long Island City, NY

Handwoven in a fine blend of wool and natural silk, this 7x8 antique Flemish tapestry fragment dates to circa 1600–1630. Originating from Flanders, this piece represents an exception...

Category

French Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique French Aubusson Tapestry in Beige and Blue
Antique French Aubusson Tapestry in Beige and Blue

Antique French Aubusson Tapestry in Beige and Blue

Located in Long Island City, NY

An antique 10x10 pictorial tapestry from France, handwoven in wool circa 1650-1660. This flat weave is a new addition to the most collectible European curations by Rug & Kilim. Fur...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique Signed French Jean-Baptiste Deshays Pictorial Tapestry
Antique Signed French Jean-Baptiste Deshays Pictorial Tapestry

Antique Signed French Jean-Baptiste Deshays Pictorial Tapestry

Located in Long Island City, NY

Made with handwoven wool, this 12x18 antique French Beauvais tapestry represents an iconic museum-quality addition to Rug & Kilim's Tapestry Collection—an extremely collectible a...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage Swedish Rya Runner Rug, Bold Scandinavian Geometry in Red - Rug & Kilim
Vintage Swedish Rya Runner Rug, Bold Scandinavian Geometry in Red - Rug & Kilim

Vintage Swedish Rya Runner Rug, Bold Scandinavian Geometry in Red - Rug & Kilim

Located in Long Island City, NY

Hand-knotted in lush, high-pile wool in Sweden circa 1960-1970, this 3x6 vintage Swedish Rya runner rug is a bold new addition to Rug & Kilim’s curation of iconic, one-of-a-kind mid...

Category

Swedish Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

17th Century Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry, with Trees, Bushes and Flowers
17th Century Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry, with Trees, Bushes and Flowers

17th Century Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry, with Trees, Bushes and Flowers

Located in New York, NY

A Flemish verdure landscape tapestry from the 17th century, depicting verdant hills with two large blossoming trees in the foreground, a stream and a large domicile in the middle gro...

Category

European Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry, with Exotic Birds in a Lush Setting
Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry, with Exotic Birds in a Lush Setting

Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry, with Exotic Birds in a Lush Setting

Located in New York, NY

A Flemish verdure landscape tapestry from the 18th century, featuring two cranes in a lush verdant landscape, with various exotic plants in the foreground and a palace in the backgro...

Category

European Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Late 17th Century Flemish Landscape Tapestry, with an Archer in a Forest
Late 17th Century Flemish Landscape Tapestry, with an Archer in a Forest

Late 17th Century Flemish Landscape Tapestry, with an Archer in a Forest

Located in New York, NY

A Flemish Baroque landscape hunting tapestry from the late 17th or early 18th century, depicting a young Archer carrying a bow and arrow within a forest in a meadowland setting. Encl...

Category

European Baroque Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique 18th Century French Landscape Verdure Tapestry, with Birds in the Woods
Antique 18th Century French Landscape Verdure Tapestry, with Birds in the Woods

Antique 18th Century French Landscape Verdure Tapestry, with Birds in the Woods

Located in New York, NY

An antique 18th century French Beauvais landscape verdure tapestry, size 12'1 H x 10'1 W. This tapestry features a group of birds in a verdant woodland setting near a bridge, with th...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Antique 18th Century Flemish Mythological Tapestry, with the Greek Deity Apollo
Antique 18th Century Flemish Mythological Tapestry, with the Greek Deity Apollo

Antique 18th Century Flemish Mythological Tapestry, with the Greek Deity Apollo

Located in New York, NY

An antique 18th century Flemish mythological tapestry, size 11'0 H x 12'6 W. This period European tapestry depicts the Greek God Apollo, who is the deity of the arts, poetry, crops, ...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Silk and Wool 18th Century French Aubusson Tapestry Panel from France
Silk and Wool 18th Century French Aubusson Tapestry Panel from France

Silk and Wool 18th Century French Aubusson Tapestry Panel from France

Located in New York, NY

Late 18th century Aubusson tapestry panel made in France. Measures: Height 8'6'', width 10'6'' Animals in a central oval cameo amongst garlands, birds, scrolling acanthus leaves a...

Category

French French Provincial Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry
18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry

18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry

Located in New York, NY

A Flemish verdure landscape tapestry panel from the 18th century, featuring a verdant scene with large trees and various foliage and including a lake. Enclosed within a stylized bord...

Category

European Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Early 18th Century French Mythological Tapestry, with Father Time and Minerva
Early 18th Century French Mythological Tapestry, with Father Time and Minerva

Early 18th Century French Mythological Tapestry, with Father Time and Minerva

Located in New York, NY

A French mythological tapestry from the early 18th century, depicting Father Time and Minerva flanking a seated female figure whom Minerva crowns with a laurel garland; a fountain in...

Category

European Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique 18th Century Flemish Biblical Tapestry, with Queen Esther & Ahashverosh
Antique 18th Century Flemish Biblical Tapestry, with Queen Esther & Ahashverosh

Antique 18th Century Flemish Biblical Tapestry, with Queen Esther & Ahashverosh

Located in New York, NY

An antique 18th century Flemish Biblical tapestry, size 8'3 H x 10'1 W. This period European tapestry depicts a climactic moment from the Biblical account of the Purim story, with Queen Esther...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Swans Ducks 18th Century Aubusson French Tapestry Panel
Swans Ducks 18th Century Aubusson French Tapestry Panel

Swans Ducks 18th Century Aubusson French Tapestry Panel

Located in New York, NY

Late 18th century Aubusson tapestry panel made in France. Measures: Height 9 feet 4 inches, width 7 feet 11 inches. Swans and ducks swimming in a lake...

Category

French French Provincial Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique 17th Century Brussels Mythological Boar's Head Tapestry, by Jan Leyniers
Antique 17th Century Brussels Mythological Boar's Head Tapestry, by Jan Leyniers

Antique 17th Century Brussels Mythological Boar's Head Tapestry, by Jan Leyniers

By Jan Leyniers, Charles Le Brun

Located in New York, NY

An antique 17th century Brussels mythological tapestry, size 11'6 H x 10'8 W, from the workshop of the renowned weaver, Jan Leyniers, after cartoons by Charles Le Brun...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century Yellow French Aubusson Louis XVI Period Carpet 15'3" x 21'6" Rug
18th Century Yellow French Aubusson Louis XVI Period Carpet 15'3" x 21'6" Rug

18th Century Yellow French Aubusson Louis XVI Period Carpet 15'3" x 21'6" Rug

Located in New York, NY

Aubusson, France. Tapestry weave carpet. 16’ × 21’ 9” Louis XVI Period – 1780’s. This carpet is in amazingly good condition with only minimal repairs which have blended in...

Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage Swedish Rya Rug, Playful Scandinavian Geometric Patterns - Rug & Kilim
Vintage Swedish Rya Rug, Playful Scandinavian Geometric Patterns - Rug & Kilim

Vintage Swedish Rya Rug, Playful Scandinavian Geometric Patterns - Rug & Kilim

Located in Long Island City, NY

Hand-knotted in lush, high-pile wool in Sweden circa 1960-1970, this 4x6 vintage Swedish rya rug is a bold new addition to Rug & Kilim’s curation of iconic, one-of-a-kind mid-centur...

Category

Swedish Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Tapestry   Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period 1738 at the Gobelins
Tapestry   Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period 1738 at the Gobelins

Tapestry Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period 1738 at the Gobelins

By Aubusson Manufacture

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

French Baroque Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century French Aubusson Mythological Tapestry, with Telemachus & Calypso
18th Century French Aubusson Mythological Tapestry, with Telemachus & Calypso

18th Century French Aubusson Mythological Tapestry, with Telemachus & Calypso

Located in New York, NY

A French Aubusson tapestry which is very likely part of a set from 'The Story of Telemachus' woven at Aubusson between 1776 and 1800 after engraved designs by various painters including Franc¸ois Boucher Antonio Tempesta and Charles Monnet...

Category

French Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage Tuareg Mat Runner, Luminous Bronze with Rich Brown Stripes - Rug & Kilim
Vintage Tuareg Mat Runner, Luminous Bronze with Rich Brown Stripes - Rug & Kilim

Vintage Tuareg Mat Runner, Luminous Bronze with Rich Brown Stripes - Rug & Kilim

Located in Long Island City, NY

This vintage rug and floor covering is a 2x6 Tuareg runner mat from the nomadic tribe of the same name. Handwoven with reeds in Mauritania circa 1950-1960, it is an exciting new addi...

Category

Mauritanian Tribal Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Late 16th Century Brussels Historical Tapestry Panel, Vertical, Woman & Flowers
Late 16th Century Brussels Historical Tapestry Panel, Vertical, Woman & Flowers

Late 16th Century Brussels Historical Tapestry Panel, Vertical, Woman & Flowers

Located in New York, NY

A late 16th century Flemish Historical Tapestry panel. This vertically oriented decorative tapestry panel depicts a female figure at bottom, sitting within an elaborate floral reserv...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

17th Century Brussels Verdure Landscape Tapestry in Chinoiserie Style
17th Century Brussels Verdure Landscape Tapestry in Chinoiserie Style

17th Century Brussels Verdure Landscape Tapestry in Chinoiserie Style

Located in New York, NY

A Brussels verdure landscape tapestry from the 17th century, featuring a verdant landscape with stately and exotic trees at right, a striking acanthus bush in the foreground, and a l...

Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Oversized Vintage Mauritanian Tuareg Mat in Rich Brown Stripes - Rug & Kilim
Oversized Vintage Mauritanian Tuareg Mat in Rich Brown Stripes - Rug & Kilim

Oversized Vintage Mauritanian Tuareg Mat in Rich Brown Stripes - Rug & Kilim

Located in Long Island City, NY

This vintage floor covering is a rare oversized 14x17 Tuareg mat from the nomadic tribal weavers of the same name. Handwoven with reeds and leather in Mauritania circa 1950-1960, its...

Category

Mauritanian Tribal Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Reed

17th Century Flemish Tapestry Panel
17th Century Flemish Tapestry Panel

17th Century Flemish Tapestry Panel

Located in New York, NY

A Flemish tapestry panel from the 17th century, featuring a design of scrolling flowerheads and rosettes, with ribbon-ties and French fleur-de-lys motifs in the upper corners, and po...

Category

European Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

17th Century Traditional French Aubusson Style Flat-Weave Rug
17th Century Traditional French Aubusson Style Flat-Weave Rug

17th Century Traditional French Aubusson Style Flat-Weave Rug

Located in Secaucus, NJ

Handwoven Recreation of the Classic French flat-weave Aubusson rugs that have been found in the finest homes and palaces since the late 17th century. Size 9' x 12' 2''.

Category

Chinese Aubusson Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

18th Century Camel Blue Chinese Ningxia Main Hall Carpet 12'8''x13'4'' Wool Rug
18th Century Camel Blue Chinese Ningxia Main Hall Carpet 12'8''x13'4'' Wool Rug

18th Century Camel Blue Chinese Ningxia Main Hall Carpet 12'8''x13'4'' Wool Rug

Located in New York, NY

Main Hall Carpet Ningxia North Central China First Half of the 18th century Measures: 12'8" x 13'4" - 386 x 406 cm Structural Analysis Warp: cotton, white, natural, Z-4-S, hand-spun...

Category

Chinese Chinese Chippendale Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Doris Leslie Blau Antique French Gobelins Tapestry Rug
Doris Leslie Blau Antique French Gobelins Tapestry Rug

Doris Leslie Blau Antique French Gobelins Tapestry Rug

Located in New York, NY

Antique French Gobelins Tapestry Rug Size: 11'8" × 13'5" (355 × 408 cm) This magnificent 18th-century French Gobelins tapestry rug exemplifies the height of Louis XIV-era craftsmansh...

Category

French Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Other

17th  Century Central Anatolian Rug - Antique Rug, Antique Turkish Rug
17th  Century Central Anatolian Rug - Antique Rug, Antique Turkish Rug

17th Century Central Anatolian Rug - Antique Rug, Antique Turkish Rug

Located in Sultanahmet, 34

17th Century Central Anatolian Rug Turkish knotted carpet, Central Anatolia. Early village carpet with octagonal medallion on madder red background and bottle green corner solution...

Category

Turkish Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

1750s Brown Floral English George III Needlepoint Carpet 13'4"x19'4" Wool Rug
1750s Brown Floral English George III Needlepoint Carpet 13'4"x19'4" Wool Rug

1750s Brown Floral English George III Needlepoint Carpet 13'4"x19'4" Wool Rug

Located in New York, NY

18th Century English George III Needlepoint Carpet 13'4" x 19'4" - 405 x 560 18th Century English George III Needlepoint Carpet, Circa 1750 This remarkable English George III needl...

Category

English George III Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Oversized Antique French Aubusson Beige Rug with Floral Medallion
Oversized Antique French Aubusson Beige Rug with Floral Medallion

Oversized Antique French Aubusson Beige Rug with Floral Medallion

Located in Long Island City, NY

Handwoven in wool, this 16x18 antique oversized Aubusson rug originating from France, holds both aesthetic and historical value, suitable for institutional collections, period interi...

Category

French Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Imperial Five-Clawed Dragon Chinese Textile 'Silk & Metal', 18th Century
Imperial Five-Clawed Dragon Chinese Textile 'Silk & Metal', 18th Century

Imperial Five-Clawed Dragon Chinese Textile 'Silk & Metal', 18th Century

Located in Ferrara, IT

This is an 18th-century imperial silk Chinese textile that measures 79 x 47CM in size. This rare example has been preserved in excellent condition and has retained its dramatic satur...

Category

Chinese Other Antique 18th Century and Earlier Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Silk