Skip to main content

Wool Wall Decorations

to
635
1,822
1,454
2,517
775
119
Height
to
Width
to
379
334
85
80
79
65
41
14
13
11
9
9
9
8
7
5
3
581
474
1,462
894
316
722
313
63
24
98
41
45
82
101
124
40
8
124,858
35,982
16,775
14,066
9,499
1,585
1,231
1,010
459
443
3,411
2,915
3,058
109
51
30
24
23
Material: Wool
Nice modern French Aubusson Tapestry by « Lartigaud »
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Discover the elegance of modern French tapestry with the exquisite "Floride" (Florida) design by Jean Michel Lartigaud. This limited edition masterpiece, woven in vibrant shades of o...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Silk

Mid 20th Century Tapestry Signed “DUPREZ”
Located in Beirut, LB
Mid-Century Modern French wool tapestry by Jean Claude Duprez signed at the bottom right corner , "DUPREZ". This beautiful piece depicts birds and ...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Tapestry, Wool

Vintage Cubist-Inspired Tapestry by Robert Goodnough, USA, circa 1980
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Cubist-Inspired Tapestry by Robert Goodnough, USA, circa 1970s Vibrant tapestry by American artist Robert Goodnough (1917-2010), known for his exploration of Cubist-inspire...
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Contemporary Wool Wall Tapestry with Modern Shapes, Opus LIX by Mira Sohlen
Located in 1204, CH
Each tapestry is called Opus followed by its chronological roman numeral in the order they were created. Opus is a latin word meaning a work, used to mean a particular piece of music...
Category

2010s Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Framed Pre-Columbian Proto Nazca Textile Frangment
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Proto-Nazca textile fragment from Southern Peru circa 100BC-200AD. The linked munecas ("dolls" in Spanish) figures were woven with fibers likely from l...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Peruvian Pre-Columbian Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Fine and Rare Pastoral Aubusson Tapestry, France 18th Century
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This exquisite rare 18th-century Aubusson tapestry beautifully captures the refined elegance and pastoral charm associated with the Louis XV period. Masterfully woven, it depicts a r...
Category

18th Century French Louis XV Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Silk

72" Mid Century Modern Wool Fiber Art Weaving Wall Hanging Sculpture 1970
Located in Troy, MI
Hand woven wall hanging by Ontario artist Melanie Martin 1970 Raw fleece weaving contrasted with oval design in red and purple Original artists label intact
Category

Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

17th Century Flemish Tapestry
Located in Houston, TX
A Flemish tapestry of exceptional quality. It has retained great Color And the condition is remarkable with only minor restoration. it is Made of wool and it is hand woven. the des...
Category

17th Century French Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

17th Century Flemish Tapestry
17th Century Flemish Tapestry
$33,000 Sale Price
40% Off
White Textile Artwork Wall Piece, Made of handspun handwoven Wool, handcrafted
Located in Marseille, FR
- Handspun and handwoven woo - 2025 - Edition of 20. This tapestry is the result of a collaboration between memòri studio and all the spinners and weavers from the Feija tribe loca...
Category

2010s Moroccan Arts and Crafts Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Antique French Tapestry, Mid-19th Century, circa 1850s
Located in New York, NY
In the 18th century style, village maidens and boys play blindman's buff in a clearing framed by leafy trees with flowers along a low ridge in the foreground and a rolling rustic lan...
Category

1850s French French Provincial Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Colorful Dragon Tibetan Early 20th Century Rug
Located in New York, NY
1st Quarter of the 20th-century Tibetan rug with a large-scale dragon motif. The wool is soft, Texture and patina are fabulous. Can also make for a suitable wall hanging. Measure...
Category

Early 20th Century Tibetan Archaistic Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Vintage Handmade Turkish Rug Christmas Stocking
Located in Houston, TX
Handmade Vintage from the 1960s Materials: wool, cotton Sustainable, upcycled Turkish rug Christmas stocking made from hand-woven rug fragments. Width: 13 inches Height: 17 inches ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Mid-Century Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

“Heliotrope” Tapestry Signed by Hervé Lelong
Located in Beirut, LB
Tapestry in “pure laine vierge” signed by Hervé Lelong Entitled “Heliotrope” Depicting a colorful flowers scene in the style of J.Lurcat Hand woven wool
Category

1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Brown Textile artwork Wall Piece, Made of handwoven Wool and Natural Dyes
Located in Marseille, FR
- Handspun and handwoven wool, henna dye, oil paint, big size - 2022 - Unique piece - Framing by Laetitia Verchere - Edition of 10. Dimensions: 11.8 x 11.8 in // 30 x 30 cm.
Category

2010s Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Pretty early 20th century French Aubusson style Jacquard Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very pretty antique french Aubusson style tapestry with beautiful design from the nature with an eagle. Woven on Jacquard loom with wool and cotton. ✨✨✨ "Experience the epitome of lu...
Category

Early 20th Century French Aubusson Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Nice Vintage Aubusson Style Jaquar Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Beautiful Aubusson style tapestry with nice design with a gallant scene and nice colors, mechanical Jaquar manufacturing with wool and cotton. Size: 100 x 140 cm.
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Antique French Tapestry Verdure Birds Wool & Silk 1920 6x7
Located in New York, NY
Antique French Tapestry Verdure Birds Wool & Silk 1920 6x7 6' x 7'3" 221cm x 183cm "A magnificent antique French tapestry depicting birds amongst a verdure setting. Beautiful colo...
Category

1920s French Baroque Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Silk

pretty antique French medieval design Aubusson style Jacquard tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
"Experience the timeless elegance of 'Scènes Galantes,' a stunning early 20th century French tapestry featuring a medieval design inspired by the 15th-century masterpiece from the Cl...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

19th Century French Tapestry of a Forest Hunting Scene "The Hunts of Maximilian"
Located in Barrington, IL
This exquisite 19th-century French tapestry, woven using a Jacquard loom, is a faithful reproduction of Panel II from the renowned Renaissance tapestry series, The Hunts of Maximilia...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Vintage Floral and Bird Tapestry 9X2.4
Located in Los Angeles, US
A wall hanging tapestry, simply put, is a textile specifically designed and woven to portray an artistic scene with the intent of hanging it on a wall. Antique tapestries, those that...
Category

Early 2000s Unknown Empire Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Antique French Tapestry Handwoven French Tapestry Aubusson Verdure Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
Rare Antique French Tapestry Verdure Human Flirting Scene Beige after "Francois Boucher" 4'4" x 6'4" 132cm width x 193cm Height circa 1920 "This is an outstanding one-of-a-k...
Category

1920s French Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Antique French Tapestry 4X5 Handmade Tapestry Verdure Tapestry 122cm x 153CM
Located in New York, NY
Rare Antique French Tapestry handmade Verdure Tapestry 4' x 5' 122cm x 153cm Circa 1920 A magnificent antique French tapestry depicting a hunting scene amongst a verdure setting...
Category

1920s French Arts and Crafts Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

George Edouard Tremblay Folk Art Hooked Rug, Mat or Tapestry of a Winter Scene
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This framed hooked rug or mat was done by the well known George Edouard Tremblay of Quebec Canada in approximately 1940 in his period Folk Art style. The rug or mat is done with wool...
Category

Mid-20th Century Canadian Folk Art Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Burlap, Pine

Signed Vintage Jean Picart Le Doux Tapestry with Tree Pictorial
Located in grand Lancy, CH
Signed Vintage Jean Picart Le Doux Tapestry with Tree Pictorial
Category

1970s French Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Mid-Century Modern Tapestry by Jean Picart le Doux, 'Hommage a Paul Eluard'
Located in London, GB
This is a stunning tapestry by the well-known tapestry maker Jean Picart le Doux. It is signed on the bottom right hand side. The tapestry is named 'Homage a Paul Eluard...
Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Antique 19th Century French Aubusson Rococo Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
This is a lovely antique 19th century square French Aubusson tapestry depicting a on a beautiful spring day in the countryside with lush trees and vegetation with a woman on a swing and her husband and two children beside her. It is a lovely silk and wool tapestry with in the classic Rocco style...
Category

19th Century French Rococo Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Tapestry, Wool, Silk

French 19th Century Framed Fox Tapestry
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A charming French 19th century verdure-style tapestry depicting a lush, pastoral scene where spring flowers bloom, lambs graze in fields while their shepherd rests, and a sly fox wea...
Category

19th Century French Other Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Wood

Spring Levee, Jean-Michel Lartigaud - French modern Aubusson Tapestry - No. 1513
Located in Paris, FR
This magnificent modern tapestry from the Aubusson Manufacture, having benefited from a deep cleaning and a careful verification and doubled by experts in our artisanal Workshop. It ...
Category

20th Century French Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Early 18th Century Flemish Mythological Tapestry with Odysseus and Penelope
Located in New York, NY
A Flemish mythological tapestry from the late 17th or early 18th century, envisioning Odysseus and Penelope, in a scene from the culmination of The Odyssey. Measures: 11’0” H x 10’0”...
Category

Early 18th Century European Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

32" x 39" Knotted Fiber Art Sculpture, Macrame Wall Hanging, KNITKNOT – nubes
Located in Schagen, NH
This macrame / knitted tapestry is MADE TO ORDER. The time needed to create this design is 11-12 weeks. Because this fiber art tapestry is made to order, please allow some slight v...
Category

2010s Dutch Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Alpaca, Yarn, Foam

Fiber Wall Hanging by Margo Farrin O’Connor for Ted Morris & Associates, 1970s
By Margo Farrin O'Connor, Ted Morris
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large scale fiber wall sculpture by Margo Farrin O’Connor for Ted Morris & Associates, crafted in the 1970s. Composed of tonal bands of wool and jute in ivory, sand, rust, and ochre,...
Category

1970s American Bohemian Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Jute

Antique 18th Century French Aubusson Tapestry, with Romantic Tale of Don Quixote
Located in New York, NY
An antique 18th century French Aubusson tapestry, size 8'10" H x 7'9" W. This fine, handwoven tapestry envisions a scene with Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza, as he attends ...
Category

18th Century French Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Silk

Wonderful antique silk and golden metal Chinese rich Embroidery
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful and antique Chinese embroidery with beautiful design with birds, dogs, symbols and scriptures, and with nice natural colours with a red brown background, entirely hand...
Category

19th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Metal

French Aubusson Style Jaquar Tapestry Medieval Design
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful French tapestry with a design of a museum tapestry from 15th century and nice colors, mechanical Jaquar manufacturing woven with wool.
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Zabihi Collection Antique Bakshaish Rug on Fabric Textile
Located in New York, NY
Mid-19th Century Persian Bakshaish Rug hand-stitched on a fabric textile. Best to use on wall or as a throw piece Details rug no. r4808 size 3' 8" x 5' 2" (112 x 157 cm
Category

19th Century Unknown Tribal Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Linen

Zabihi Collection Antique Persian Soft Red Bidjar Rug
Located in New York, NY
a soft abrash red color late 19th Century, large-scale pattern Persian Bidjar Carpet Details rug no. j3900 size 9' 6" x 12' (290 x 366 cm
Category

Late 19th Century Persian American Colonial Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Woven Wool Wall Hanging/Textile Tapestry by Evelyn Ackerman, United States
Located in New York, NY
Woven Tapestry by Evelyn Ackerman, United States, c. 1960 Wool tapestry by celebrated American artist Evelyn Ackerman. Evelyn Ackerman contributed to the aesthetic sensibilities of ...
Category

1960s Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Zabihi Collection Vintage Persian Tabriz Ten Commandment Rug
Located in New York, NY
A 3rd quarter of the 20th century Persian Tabriz Rug with Moses holding the 10 commandments on a green background Details rug no. 8747 size 1' 10" x 2' 4" (56 x 71 cm)  
Category

20th Century Persian Other Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Large-Scale Contemporary Wool Tapestry by Alfhild Külper
Located in New York, NY
A 7 foot wide hand tufted and embroidered tapestry. Titled "Dream Entrance" the piece evokes the tapestry of the Northern Renaissance, updating it with soft blues and greens. The wor...
Category

2010s Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

17th Century French Aubusson Mythological Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A French Aubusson mythological tapestry from the 17th century, depicting the Spartan king, Menelaus, seated at left, sending his brother...
Category

17th Century French Aubusson Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Scandinavian Modern "Green Twig" Vintage Wall Tapestry by Barbro Nilsson, 1950s
Located in Stockholm, SE
Scandinavian Modern vintage handwoven wall tapestry by Barbro Nilsson, from Märta Måås Fjetterström workshop in Båstad, The name is "Green Twig", (Grön kvist). Monogramsign (BN). (46...
Category

1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Linen

Late 18th Century French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry with Louis XV Style
Located in Dallas, TX
78236 Late 18th Century Antique French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, 04'01 x 06'00. Bathed in the soft glow of Rococo refinement, this handwoven antique French Aubusson tapestry from th...
Category

Late 18th Century French Aubusson Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Beautiful Modern 20th Century French Needlepoint Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice modern Art Deco needlepoint French tapestry, with a beautiful cock and sun design. And beautiful colors with orange, yellow, purple, grey and black, entirely hand embroidered wi...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Bobyrug’s Nice Vintage French Jaquar Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful french tapestry with nice medieval museum design tapestry and beautiful colors, woven with mechanical Jaquar manufacturing with wool and cotton. ✨✨✨ "Experience the e...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Vintage Tapestry Depicting Exotic Animals 5 X 3
Located in Los Angeles, US
A wall hanging tapestry, simply put, is a textile specifically designed and woven to portray an artistic scene with the intent of hanging it on a wall. Antique tapestries, those that...
Category

Early 2000s Unknown Empire Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Stunning Interpretation Paul Gauguin Maternity Needlepoint Lucite Wall Hanging
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Stunning needlepoint interpretation of Paul Gauguin's painting "Maternity" (three women on the seashore). This piece of needlework is wonderfully handc...
Category

1970s American Modern Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Canvas, Lucite

Wool Textile Wall Hanging in the style of Joan Miro
Located in Kansas City, MO
1960s wall hanging tapestry in the style of Joan Miro. Excellent condition.
Category

1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Large Mid-Century Modern Abstract Free Form Nudes Kilim Tapestry Wall Art Rug
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a hand woven mid-century modern abstract tapestry or rug. It depicts free form nudes in the manner of early cubism. It has great colors in rich wools. Both sides are usable. ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Polish Mid-Century Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

1930's Berber Moroccan Textile
Located in Dallas, TX
78447 Vintage Berber Moroccan Tribal Textile, 01'04 x 01'08. Emanating nomadic charm and steeped in ancient Berber history, this handwoven Moroccan fragment is a captivating vision o...
Category

Early 20th Century Moroccan Bohemian Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

1930's Berber Moroccan Textile
1930's Berber Moroccan Textile
$168 Sale Price
20% Off
Vintage Tapestry Depicting Royal Commanders 7.1X6.10
Located in Los Angeles, US
A wall hanging tapestry, simply put, is a textile specifically designed and woven to portray an artistic scene with the intent of hanging it on a wall. Antique tapestries, those that...
Category

Early 2000s Unknown Empire Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Cotton

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

16th Century Belgian Renaissance Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Silk

Spanish Embroidered Gold Silver Armorial Hanging Amphora Count 70'high 55"long
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
The embroidered appliques in fine silk and gold and silver threadwork with coloured glass, sequins and mirror simulating jewels in deep relief worked onto the original red velvet tex...
Category

1640s Spanish Baroque Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Gold, Silver

Antique Indian Kashmir Shawl Textile, 19th Century
Located in Ferrara, IT
The softness of the pure Pashmina wool and the skill of the work help us to identify this authentic antique Indian Kashmiri shawl measuring 177 × 173 cm...
Category

19th Century Indian Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

18th Century Abstract Tapestry Collage
Located in LYON, FR
Early 18th-century abstract tapestry collage. Something I have never seen before. A 300 year old abstract tapestry made from fragments of potentially nine seperate works. To me, thi...
Category

1840s French Aubusson Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

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 Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Silk

French Aubusson Tapestry, Circa 1940 - L165xh108cm - No. 1520
Located in Paris, FR
Located a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, we are a French family business specializing in the purchase, sale, expertise, cleaning, restoration and conservation of tapes...
Category

1940s French French Provincial Vintage Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

5.7x9.4 Ft Vintage Bessarabian Kilim, Handwoven Rug. Floral Tapestry. 100% Wool
Located in Spring Valley, NY
One of a kind vintage Bessarabian Kilim. Measures: 5.7 x 9.4 ft. A handwoven Eastern European Rug from Moldova. These traditional Moldovan flat-weaves are inspired from vintage Aubus...
Category

20th Century Moldovan Bohemian Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

1960s Wall Art Hand-Woven Fish Tapestry Set
Located in Chula Vista, CA
AMBIANIC presents Vintage Hand-Woven Fish Tapestry Pair Set of 2 in wool 23.5 w x 38.75 red 25 x 38 Original vintage unrestored Refer to images
Category

Mid-20th Century Folk Art Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Greenery tapestry Flanders Oudenaarde - 18th century Dim 2.42x2.52 - No. 1346
Located in Paris, FR
specialized in the Purchase, Sale, Traditional Cleaning, Restoration - Conservation, Expertise - Estimation of Old and also Contemporary Tapestries, Carpets, Kilims and Textiles. We ...
Category

1760s French Aubusson Antique Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool, Silk

Man Ray "The meeting" - French Wool Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
- Handwoven wool tapestry by Atelier 3, Paris. - Edition/6 - Project date: 1913 (from the Revolving Doors series) - Weaving date: c. 1975 - “The Meeting" is a part of tapestry series...
Category

20th Century French Modern Wool Wall Decorations

Materials

Wool

Read More

Punk Rock and Rebellion Animate London’s Hit Yoshitomo Nara Show

The exhibition includes his portraits of wide-eyed kids with mayhem on their minds, as well as some of the artist’s personal belongings.

Whether Painted or Papered, Muraled Walls Make Bold Statements in the Home

The ancient practice of covering walls in artistic scenery is back.

In Francks Deceus’s ‘Mumbo Jumbo #5,’ the Black Experience Is . . . Complicated

Despite the obstacles, the piece’s protagonist navigates the chaos without losing his humanity.

12 Floral-Accented Rooms with a Handmade, Folkloric Feel

Who needs a flower garden? Just use your imagination — and some beautifully patterned wallpaper or fabric — to bring the outdoors in.

This Wolf Kahn Pastel Is the Epitome of Beauty at Its Most Essential

A longtime admirer of Kahn’s work, 1stDibs editorial director Anthony Barzilay Freund explores why it’s relevant now more than ever.

Why Jules Chéret Was the King of the Modern Poster

The streets of fin-de-siècle Paris were set aglow with colorful poster ads, thanks to the printing techniques invented by Jules Chéret. Now, the Milwaukee Art Museum is celebrating this undersung talent in America's first solo show dedicated his exuberant works.

Anna Condo’s Multifaceted Career Spans Film, Photography and NFTs

From her historic Manhattan townhouse, the talented creator and curator of 1stDibs' latest NFT exhibition tells us about the art in her home and how she got involved with cryptoart.

How Keith Rivers Went from NFL Linebacker to Blue-Chip Art Aficionado

The former football player is as serious about becoming a great contemporary-art patron as he once was about making tackles. Here, Rivers tells us how he got the collecting bug and how his tastes have evolved over the years.

Recently Viewed

View All