Early 18th Century Wall Decorations

18th Century European hand-crafted silk and gilt threads embroidered tapestry textile panel. The piece is artistically crafted by repurposing pieces of hand embroidered robe or a vestment shawl into a panel that can be used as wall art or a table runner. Created in the 18th century, even after 300 years of use the panel still has beautiful and brilliant colors and the gold threads shine under the right light. Beautiful tapestry textile to decorate the wall or the center of a table. Dimensions: 10.5" x 90" Date of Manufacture: Early 1700s Place of Origin: Europe Material: Silk embroidery with Gold Threads Condition: Wear consistent with age and use Vintage Handwoven Tapestries, French Aubusson Tapestry, Aubusson Tapestry Pillows, French Tapestry Pillows, Antique Rug Pillows, European Embroidery,18th Century Antique French Tapestry...

Early 18th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry Fine Verdure Wool & Silk 9'9" x 12'7"(10x13) 297cm x 384cm Circa 1720 "This is a very fine Authentic Antique Flemish wool & silk Tapest...

A handwoven Brussels tapestry of dancing peasants in a field with a boy playing jump rope and another with a bow and arrow. The foreground shows lush trees and scenery. The border c...

The engraving titled "Pantheon nunc vulgo la Rotunda" is attributed to the publishing efforts of Joan Blaeu and was part of a series published around the ea...

Antique map titled 'Carte de Tartarie'. Detailed map of Tartary, consisting of the Eastern part of Russia, Central Asia, China and Korea, first published by Guillaume De L'Isle in 1706. The map extends from the Peninsula of Korea in the east to the Caspian and Black Seas. The Great Wall of China...

Description: Antique map titled 'Erster Abriss der Stadt Jerusalem wie sie Furnemblich zur Zeit des Hernn Christi beschaffen (..).' Spectacular town plan...

Phoenix and Peacocks. A pair of six-panel Japanese folding screens by Tsunetake Yotei (n.d.) First half of the 18th century. The signature reads 67 year old Tsunetake. The seals read: -Tsunetake no in, -Yotei, -Seishin Dimensions: Each screen – H. 69” x W. 149” (176 cm x 378 cm) A pair of Kano Grand Picture (Waga) screens depicting phoenix and peacocks rich with symbolic meaning. Dating to the first half of the 18th century, from the Kobikicho Kano school in Edo, this pair of folding...

Antique map titled 'Africae Pars Borealis.' Very decorative antique map of the northern part of Africa by Heinrich Scherer. The map is full of the spurious geography of the perio...

A Religious oil painting on canvas of Jesus Christ carrying the cross on the way to his crucifixion. This European piece of art is probably 17th-18th Century. This art piece was disc...

China Trade watercolor paintings of exotic birds on branches are in watercolor and gouache on Chinese paper. One picture depicts a pigeon perched on a tree branch with a landscape background. Chinese calligraphy can be seen in the top right corner. The second picture depicts two courting birds in shades of brown, both perched on a branch, also in a landscape background. Both paintings framed with a green silk mat and contemporary gilt and dark wood frame. Reference: Chinese Export...

Two religious images on one sheet titled 'Kopere Zee in den Tempel van Salomon' and 'Doorsnede van de Kopere Zee des Tempels van Salomon'. The 'Brazen Sea' in Solomon's Temple an...

Early 18th century Italian Venetian inland painting, a large size oil on canvas Baroque mountain landscape with stream, bridge, waterfall, wayfarers and a village in the background. The woodland is animated by figures, a caravan with horsemen fishermen. This monumental Italian Baroque landscape painting has a strong impact and an excellent composition balance, as it depicts in the center the luminous perspective of a fortified village, whose side wings consist of two mountain rocks with dark wooded vegetation crowded by characters, horsemen, paths, streams.On the left side, with respect to the observer, there is a path that runs alongside a stream that flows into a waterfall in the center of the composition. from a caravan of travelers on foot and on horseback traveling along it in both directions: going up the slope on the mountainous coast you can see a church and a village near the top. The right part of the painting depicts a more sparse and dry vegetation, painted in the chromatic tones of ocher, inside of which there are dead plant, dry branches and a smaller number of figures on the rugged mountain. The iconographic inspiration of this wooded representation seems to be in the large trunk of the withered conifer in a central position, which represents a dead tree, as a? reminder of the transience of everything in life, whose phases are summarized in the two mountainous coasts. In the background a village painted in light and soft blue colors, in stark contrast to the previous scene, seems  to reassure and project us into a future season. With a suggestive theatrical effect, more than 250 cm wide, this Baroque Italian painting comes from a private collection of Milan, the canvas has been lined and shows minor painting retouches at a horizontal seam of the canvas. It is unframed, it has just a wooden profile covering the canvas edge. It is an antique Italian landscape, the perfect opportunity to make a statement. Get the perfect size painting for a great living room, to create that eye-catching focal point. You can make an impact with a single large work by hanging this early 18th century Italian Baroque painting...

Antique religious print titled 'Geslachtboom der Priesteren en Leviten'. This antique print depicts the family tree of the Priests and Levites, as described in Exodus 6:16 and 3:18. ...

A manuscript page containing Persian miniature painting, surrounded by script. This artwork is characteristic of Islamic manuscript illumination, pa...

Oil Painting On Canvas Of 1700 Mater Dolorosa Religious painting of the Italian school in good condition, it is presented within a gilded pastille frame from the early 1900s. The pai...

An 18th Century petit point silkwork embroidery of a lady seated next to a tree, in a country landscape. Goats, a dog and sheep in the foreground. A house in the background with a sm...

Antique print tiled 'La Sultane Asseki, ou Sultane Reine'. The Sultan Asseki, with a servant maid, a burning censer and two bottles of perfume on a small table. This print originate...

Early 18th Century Limoges Enamel Plaque, painted with Saint Joseph being crowned by the Christ Child while an angel upholds a wreath towards the Child, the flowers in the corners ar...

Antique map titled 'France - Païs-Bas'. Miniature Map of France and the Low Countries. Published by A.M. Mallet, circa 1719. Frame included. We carefully pack our framed items to ...

Large Antique Wooden Carved Black Forest Baroque stag head with 10 Point Trophy A large antique Black Forest baroque stag head. Carved in typical abstract style of the early 18th century. It is mounted on a wooden carved and painted plaque with emblem and foliages and features a large real stag antler trophy. The head still has its original polycrome painted finish witch is partly restored. The left side of the plaque has been replaced. A great individual piece which enhances every wall decoration. A special way to present hunting trophies is to attach them to carved animal heads. This tradition exists since the Middle Ages. Even after intensive investigations, it is not yet possible to explain exactly how this happened. The carved heads are often colored and mounted on cartouches that are also carved and painted. They follow a naturalistic representation and one could think that in this way they are symbolically brought back from the abstraction of dead antlers into liveliness. Famous artists to be named are Madl in Ichenhausen, Germany and Heissl in Ebensee, Austria. Around 1900, the antler collection...

Cellarius Andreas Pair of 18th Century Watercolor Celestial Maps within gilt frames, titled Planisphaerivm Aratevm sive Compages Orbivm Mvndanorvm ex Hypothesi Aratea in Plano Expre...

French Aubusson woven tapestry from the early 1700's depicting a lizard standing in luscious vegetation. Created in Aubusson, located in central France. Interestingly this vertical w...

Antique print titled 'De Meerman van 't Noorder Gewest als Opper Directeur der zee-plaat verkruyers van het verkeerde Pampus beslaande de Achterhoede van het Papiere Actie-Schouburgs...

Antique religion print titled 'Een der tien Kopere Waschvaten in den Tempel van Salomon'. This print depicts one of the ten Brass Lavers in Solomon's Temple. This print originate...

Antique religion print titled 'Het kopere Waschvat, Tusschen de Tente der t'zamenkomst en den altaar'. Antique print of the Brass Laver in Solomon's Tem...

Very large Aubusson Tapersty Circa 1720's. ‘Verdure’ (foliage) tapestries were woven throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries, featuring wooded landscapes, reflecting the interest in b...

Antique print titled 'Die Pferde zum Schiessen zu gewöhnen - Pour former les Chevaux à tenir ferme en tirant'. This print originates from 'Neue Reit-Kunst' by J.E. Ridinger.

Antique print of Solomon's judgement and wisdom. The titles of the engraving below the image is in Hebrew, English, German, Latin, French and Dutch. This print originates from 'Tafer...

An early 18th century French 3-panel folding screen, oil-on-canvas, depicting village and maritime scenes in cartouches with other decoration.

A manuscript page containing Persian miniature painting, surrounded by script. This artwork is characteristic of Islamic manuscript illumination, pa...

Two images on one sheet titled 'Ceremonie de Mariage' and 'Benediciton du Lit Nuptial'. Antique print of a marriage ceremony and a nuptial benediction of Catholics. Originates from '...

Antique religious print titled 'Geslachtboom der Priesteren en Leviten'. This antique print depicts the family tree of the Priests and Levites, as described in Exodus 6:16 and 3:18. ...

Beautiful oil painting on canvas depicting a gentleman belonging to the ancient chivalric order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, founded in 1572 by the House of Savoy. The protagonist ...

This six panel Italian screen is from the Baroque period, circa 1700. The four central panels have been affixed to a foldable frame, while the two outer panels are detached. When all...

Title: "Solemn Mass or Grand' Messe" Description: This detailed engraving depicts a Roman Catholic solemn or high mass, typically celebrated on Sundays and holy days. The scene is s...

School of Largillierre, Portrait of a Lady of the Verheyden Family. The original frame is black lacquered wood with gilt insert. Nicolas de Largilliere (1656-1746), was born in Paris...

Early 18th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry Fine Verdure Wool & Silk 9'9" x 12'7"(10x13) 297cm x 384cm Circa 1720 "This is a very fine Authentic Antique Flemish wool & silk Tapest...

Antique map titled 'Carte des Antilles Francoises et des Isles Voisines'. Original antique map of the French Antilles, covering an area stretching from Guadeloupe in the north to Gre...

An exceptional and fine hand woven 18th century Italian silk and silver metallic thread lampas brocade panel with beautiful aged original color. Red silk backing w/ attached strip of...

Maximilian Pfeiler (active Rome, circa 1694-circa 1721 Budapest) Still life with peaches, grapes, figs and pomegranate Oil on canvas, Measures: cm H 63,5 x W 47. With frame cm ...

A rare pair of antique Japanese Karashishi paintings in a landscape of rocks and peony flowers on gold leaf ground in fine handmade frames, Edo period, early 18th century. The Karash...

Antique map titled 'Diversa Orbis Terrae. Visu Incedente per Coluros Tropicorum, Ambos Ejus Polos, et Parciularis Sphaerae Zenith, in Planum Orthographica Projectio (..) Plat Ontwerp van verscheyde Aert-klooten (..)'. One of the earliest Dutch World Maps to focus on a more modern cartographic style, based on Carel Allard's map of 1696. This map represented a noteworthy shift from the traditional decorative Dutch 17th century maps where the margins would be full of classical mythological...

The grand entry of Charles III into Madrid on June 25, 1706, was a significant moment during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). This conflict arose over competing claim...

This hand-colored copperplate engraving titled “Manière dont les Prêtres Caribes soufflent le Courage” (The way Carib Priests blow courage) depicts a ceremonial ritual performed by t...

Large original oil on canvas painting of the crucifixion of Christ hanging on the cross, with his Mother Mary and two other female figures. Unframed, just over 4.5' tall. Beautifully...

The engraving titled "Westindische Visserij" (West Indian Fisheries) is a fascinating artwork by Romeyn de Hooghe, printed by Pieter van der Aa, which vividly depicts the rich biodiv...

Set of two antique antiphonal music sheets (Spanish). Published circa 1700.

Scherenschnitte, German for "scissor cuts," is a paper cutting art that dates back to the 16th Century. In this newer example, artist Michael Raedec...

Paul of Thebes, commonly known as Saint Paul the First Hermit or St Paul the Anchorite (d. c. 341) is regarded as the first Christian hermit. He is not to be confused with Paul the Simple, who was a disciple of Anthony the Great...

Historische Wappen-Charte: Coats of Arms of the Prominent Italian Royal and Ducal Houses, 1718 This exquisite copper engraving, printed in 1718 in Nuremberg by Johann Ernst Adelbuln...

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...

A traditional Russian triptych of Christ and the Virgin of the Unfading Roses. The Mother of God and her son are shown wearing crowns and dressed in r...

An important and truly exceptional 18th century Cuzco School (Spanish School, Peru) Oil on Canvas of Pope Gregory XIII. Attributed to Marcos Zapata or Marcos Sapaca Inca. (Cuzco, Pe...

Antique Italian painting from the first half of the 18th century. Framework oil on canvas depicting a religious subject Virgin with child of excellent pictorial quality. Non coeval f...

Large original oil on canvas painting of Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well (based on Biblical passage from John 4). Just under 7' tall with frame. Has craquelure, retouches ...

An exceptionally executed oil on canvas Baroque painting depicting "lovebirds" Paolo Malatesta and Francesca Da Rimini whispering to one another. At the feet of Paoio there is a dog symbol...

We are delighted to offer for sale this very rare, large for its type, Royal coat of arms / Armorial Crest circa 1707-1714 with original Polychrome paint This is an exceptionally we...

La Terre Sainte, The Holy Land, Tiree Des Memoires De M.De.La Rue. Par N. de Fer. Geographe de Sa Majeste Catoliq et de Monseigneur le Dauphin. Avec Privil du Roi 1703 Detailed map of the Holy Land from Nicholas de Fer's L'Atlas Curieux ou le Monde. East is oriented at the top. MAKER Nicolas de Fer 1646-1720 The French cartographer and engraver, Nicolas de Fer, was a master at creating maps that were works of art. The maps that he published were printed during the Baroque period when the decorative arts were characterized by ornate detail. De Fer’s detailed maps and atlases were valued more for their decorative content than their geographical accuracy. Nicolas de Fer was born in 1646. His father, Antoine de Fer, owned a mapmaking firm. At the age of twelve, Nicolas was apprenticed to a Parisian engraver named Louis Spirinx. The family business was starting to decline when his father died in 1673. Nicolas de Fer’s mother, Genevieve, took over the business after the death of her husband. In 1687 the business was passed on to Nicolas and the profits increased after he took over the firm. Nicolas de Fer was a prolific cartographer who produced atlases and hundreds of single maps. He eventually became the official geographer to King Louis XIV of France and King Philip V...

Pair framed antique engravings of ottoman personages. Set of 12 hand coloured antique engravings of 36 diverse personages of Ottoman and Oriental background spectacularly attired in ...

Antique print titled 'Kohm - Kasjan'. Old print with two views: one is Qom, the other Kashan. Both are in Iran (then known as Persia). Published by C. de Bruijn, circa 1700. Corne...

Three small 18th century engravings of fountains at the gardens of Versailles by renowned Parisian engraver Antoine Aveline. All three are pr...

Circle of Bartolomeo del Bimbi (1648-1729), Italy, still life with flowers, berries and asparagus, oil on relined canvas, 90 x 61,5 cm.

Antique map, titled: 'Nieuwe Plattegrond van het Oude Jeruzalem Volgens den Schryver.' - Bird's-eye view of the ancient city of Jerusalem shows its divisions with prominent depiction...

Two images on one plate. Image 1. Kiwasa: This Idol is placed in the temple of the town of Secotam, as the keeper of the king's dead corpses. Image 2. The God of Wind. Both idols are...

American sampler of silk floss on linen with a modest zig-zag border framing an uppercase letter alphabet, followed by a cursive alphabet, a lower case alphabet, and the numerals one...

Description: Antique print Indonesia titled 'Casteel Rotterdam op Maccassar - Macassaarsche Man en Vrouw'. Two engravings on one sheet depicting a Macassar Couple and the Fort on Rot...

Incredible size and scale of this 17th-18th Century Aubusson tapestry city scape. Beautifully done with cranes, foilage, trees, river and town in the background. As picturesque as i...

Hendrik Brouwer was a notable figure in the 17th century, particularly for his role in the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and his contributions to maritime navigation. Here's a summa...

Wonderful copper-plate engraving after Jan Luyken Published by Marten Schagen, Amsterdam. 1724 Text on verso The measurement given is the paper size.

These set of original antique engravings are from Bernard de Montfaucon's "L'Antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures" (Antiquity Explained and Represented in Figures), which is a comprehensive collection of engravings illustrating various aspects of ancient life. This work was a significant contribution to the study of antiquity in the early 18th century. The specific volume these images are taken from likely deals with artifacts such as lamps, which were common in burial practices and other rituals of ancient cultures. This collage showcases three pages from Bernard de Montfaucon's seminal work "L'Antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures." Each page features detailed engravings of ancient lamps...

Andere Wappen-Charte: Coats of Arms of the European Empires and Kingdoms with Historical Annotations, 1718 Detailed description: This beautifully hand-colored copper engraving, pri...

Large oil on canvas after Pieter Casteels III [Flemish 1684-1749. The painting depicts a tale from Aesops Fables, "Jackdaw and Peacock Feathers". T...

Original antique map titled 'La Grece ou partie meridionale de la Turquie d'Europe'. Small map of Greece and part of Turkey. This map originates from 'Le nouveau et curieux Atlas Geo...