Fabric Tapestries
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Material: Fabric
31"x30" ALL SILK Brand-New Wall Hanging, Handmade Wall Art, Embroidered Tapestry
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Celebrate the rich heritage of Asian craftsmanship with this exquisite 100% silk Suzani textile, meticulously hand-embroidered by skilled artisans. A true work of art, this piece emb...
Category
2010s Central Asian Suzani Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Silk
772 -Tapestry Robert Debieve of the 20th Century
Located in Paris, FR
"Sub-Marine" modern tapestry of the 20th century realised by Robert Debieve, in perfect condition of conservation.
Negotiable price and free delivery.
Dimension: 157 cm x 113 cm.
Category
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Bobyrug’s Pretty antique French Aubusson Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very pretty mid century french Aubusson tapestry with beautiful design of a flowerpot with nice colours in a black background.
Entirely handwoven with wool and silk on cotton foundat...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Silk
Handwoven and Signed Jean Lurcat Aubusson Tapestry
By Jean Lurçat
Located in Dronten, NL
Unique midcentury tapestry designed by Jean Lurcat (1892-1966) and woven at Atelier Suzanne Goubely-Gatien in Aubusson, France. Handwoven in wool, they date to circa 1950. The revers...
Category
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Antique French Forest Scene Tapestry, circa 1880 4'6 x 10'
Located in New York, NY
Antique French Forest scene tapestry, circa 1880, 4'6 x 10'. An antique French fine hand-loomed tapestry, circa 1880. A forest scene, with trees and foliage surrounded by a floral bo...
Category
19th Century French Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
19th Century Italian Religious Banner Ave Maria Oliograph with Tassels Rare
Located in Firenze, Toscana
Beautiful oleograph of Mary and Jesus. Flowers on border. On bottom reads "Ave Maria". Embroidery still in great shape with gold thread. Original wonderful big tassels and bar on top...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Canvas
Bobyrug’s Pretty Éva Németh handwoven woollen tapestry, Hungary c1970s
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
This woven woollen tapestry features a design of stylised birds and flowers. It is woven in a heavyweight wool using mainly nature-inspired shades of sky blue, yellow and ecru highlighting the flowers and birds. It has the designer's initials NE in the lower right corner. c1970s
Éva Németh...
Category
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Scandinavian Modern Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Cotton
18th Century Crewelwork Tree of Life Wall Hanging
Located in Canterbury, GB
A beautiful Crewelwork Panel
English and dating from 18th century
The Oatmeal linen ground exquisitely embroidered with a delicate Tree of Life design
Worked in fine wools. W...
Category
18th Century English Jacobean Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Linen, Silk
Large Medieval Style Tree of Life Floral Aubusson Tapestry Wall Hanging
Located in Nottingham, GB
Large Medieval Style Tree of Life Floral Aubusson Tapestry Wall Hanging
From a private collection
Free international shipping.
Category
20th Century Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Cotton
29x30 in 100% Silk Wall Hanging. Embroidered Tablecloth. Boho Wall Decor
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Celebrate the rich heritage of Asian craftsmanship with this exquisite 100% silk Suzani textile, meticulously hand-embroidered by skilled artisans. A true work of art, this piece emb...
Category
2010s Central Asian Suzani Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Silk
Abstract Tapestry by John Smith
By John Smith
Located in Winnetka, IL
Multi color mid century abstract tapestry by John Smith.
Category
1960s American Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
32x74 in Contemporary 100% Silk Wall Hanging. Handmade Embroidered Table Runner
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Celebrate the rich heritage of Asian craftsmanship with this exquisite 100% silk Suzani textile, meticulously hand-embroidered by skilled artisans. A true work of art, this piece emb...
Category
2010s Central Asian Suzani Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Silk
Antique French Tapestry Handwoven French Tapestry Verdure Scenic Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
Rare Antique French Tapestry Pictorial Woodsman Verdure 1920 Tapestry Large Tapestry Wall Hanging 5'2" x 6'8" 5 x 7 153cm x 204cm
circa 1920
"Thi...
Category
1920s French Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
"Deer Season", Rare Art Deco Fabric Designed by Rockwell Kent, circa 1950
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This rare and striking Art Deco fabric panel, featuring a running deer in a forest expressed in rich red and maize, was designed by Rockwell Kent for Bloomcraft Inc. in 1950. The de...
Category
1950s American Art Deco Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Fabric
A Large Modernist Abstract Tapestry by Mathieu Mategot
Located in Atlanta, GA
A modernist wool woven tapestry designed by French artist and designer Mathieu Mategot (1910-2001) circa 1960s. The piece is signed with Matégot and monogrammed TMP fino (Manufactur...
Category
1960s Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Canvas, Wool
Pretty Vintage Aubusson Style Jacquard Tapestry, hunting with hound
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Beautiful vintage French Aubusson style tapestry with a nice modern design representing a hunting with a hound, in the style of art nouveau tapestries. and with beautiful colours, en...
Category
Late 20th Century French Aubusson Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Cotton, Acrylic
Helen Webber Signed Monumental Large Custom Framed Jungle Scene Woven Tapestry
Located in Studio City, CA
A truly stunning, one-of-a-kind work by California master tapestry artist Helen Webber featuring various wild natural creatures in an African jungle scene. The colors are so rich and vibrant. This, without question, is one of the most wonderful pieces we have come across in some time.
A vibrant, rich, heavy, substantial work overall. Displayed in a custom crackle finish frame. Sure to stand out in about any setting. This work leaps off the wall. Truly a designer's dream.
The tapestry is signed by Webber in the lower left.
Webber's works can be seen in a number of various settings including worship centers/churches/temples, hospitals and health care facilities (Betty Ford...
Category
1980s American Modern Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Fabric, Wool
Large 17th Century Aubusson Tapestry
Located in LYON, FR
Stunningly vivid late 17th early 18th century Aubusson tapestry. Strong Verdure themes with a scene depicting Bathsheba and David in the centre. An unusually large amount of silk was...
Category
Late 17th Century French Aubusson Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Silk
$11,800 / set
4.3x5.3 Ft Embroidered Silk, Cotton Wall Hanging. Pink Bed Cover. New Tablecloth
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Introducing our exquisite new suzani hand embroidered wall hanging, a captivating piece that combines ancient craftsmanship with modern artistry. This embroidered cloth is not just a...
Category
2010s Central Asian Suzani Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Cotton, Silk
$499 Sale Price
30% Off
Handwoven, Plant-dyed Framed Fine Tapestry Artwork - Greens Colour Study
By Pamela Print
Located in Chelmsford, GB
This tactile piece of hand-woven textile art is one of a collection of one-off plant-dyed pieces designed and produced by British Weaver Pamela Print.
This piece is dyed by hand using natural and repurposed yarns and techniques such as Ikat and dip-dyeing using the natural dyes weld & fustic and over-dyed with indigo to achieve the shades of green.
Handwoven on a dobby loom in Pamela's studio using a complex double cloth weaving technique and a combination of weave structures, including a 3D honeycomb, this unique framed artwork draws inspiration from the ethos and aesthetic of Indian Kantha & Japanese Boro textiles.
One of a kind. Two similar designs - ‘Yellows Colour Study...
Category
2010s British Bauhaus Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Victorian Sampler, 1841, by Mary Croesley
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Victorian Sampler, 1841, by Mary Croesley. The sampler is worked in silk threads on a linen ground, mainly in cross stitch. Meandering strawberry border. Colours green, light brown, ...
Category
1840s Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Silk
Bobyrug’s pretty vintage Aubusson style french jacquard tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Pretty vintage French Aubusson style tapestry with a nice design and light colours, woven in mechanical jacquard looms with cotton, wool and acrylic,
✨✨✨
"Experience the epitome of...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Cotton, Acrylic
Mid-Century Modern Style Catamarca Raw Cotton Wall Tapestry
By AIREDELSUR
Located in Buenos Aires, AR
This dramatic wall hanging is an impressive statement piece for almost any room.Custom sizes and others colors available by request.
Each piece is completely made to order and is av...
Category
2010s Argentine Other Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Cotton
Late 17th Century French Aubusson Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A French Aubusson Biblical tapestry from the late 17th century, depicting King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba seated on a throne at center, flanked on either side by attendants, to t...
Category
Late 17th Century French Aubusson Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Carpet, or tapestry, in wool, in Art Deco style. Contemporary work.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
NAME OF THE WORK:
LIMITED EDITION TO:
COPY: N°
BASED ON A WORK BY:
DIMENSIONS (APPROX.): H 296 cm x W 215 cm
SURFACE: 6.36 M2
WEAVING DATE: 2023
DENSITY: knots
This rug, or tapestr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
18th Century Italian Silk & Silver Metallic Thread Lampas Brocade Panel
Located in Rochester, NY
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...
Category
Early 18th Century Italian Renaissance Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Metallic Thread
17th Century Antique French Beauvais Grotesque Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
17th century French grotesque tapestry
An antique French Beauvais tapestry from the 17th century, depicting a Grotesque scene with an Elephant and ...
Category
17th Century French Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
$240,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Early 19th Century English Framed Needlework
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Early 19th century English framed sampler, unsigned. Simple with a Georgian brick manor house, crowns, etc. below an alphabet & numbers. Frame scuffs.
...
Category
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Fabric
Roman Triumph - Fine Brussels Tapestry from 16th Century - 355lx300h - No. 1507
Located in Paris, FR
Manufacture Des Bruxelles
Epoque: 16th century
Style: Rome and Ancient Greece
Condition: Perfect condition
Material: Wool & Silk
Width: 355 cm
Height: 300 cm
Depth: 0.5 cm
Roman Tri...
Category
16th Century Belgian French Provincial Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Silk
Rare, Noble Coat of Arms Tapestry, Order of Santiago, Trogner Family, C. 1650
Located in Dallas, TX
This rare coat of arms tapestry, which was hand-woven circa 1650, originated in the lands that would eventually become Belgium. The beautiful and...
Category
Mid-17th Century Belgian Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Textile, Wool, Linen, Silk
Contemporary hand made patchwork and quilted wall hanging from Organic cotton
Located in London, London
'Maze' wall hanging
100% Organic cotton wall hanging quilts made in short runs by a small family run artisan studio in India. Made using GOTS certified fabric which is screen printed using AZO free water based non toxic...
Category
2010s Indian Organic Modern Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Cotton, Organic Material
4.2x6 Ft Embroidered Silk & Cotton Wall Hanging. Blue Bed Cover. New Tablecloth
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Introducing our exquisite new suzani hand embroidered wall hanging, a captivating piece that combines ancient craftsmanship with modern artistry. This embroidered cloth is not just a...
Category
2010s Central Asian Suzani Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Cotton, Silk
$571 Sale Price
20% Off
17th Century Antique Tapestry 7'9" X 3'2"
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
17th Century Unknown Other Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Cotton
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' 11” x 14' 2”.
Category
17th Century Chinese Aubusson Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Large Tapestry with an 19th Century Orientalist Scene and Moorish Architecture
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Large Aubusson style tapestry with an orientalist 19th century scene depicting Arabs figures and Middle Eastern Moorish architecture in the background.
Probably a scene in North Afr...
Category
20th Century French Moorish Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Canvas
21x36 in Contemporary 100% Silk Wall Hanging. Embroidered Tablecloth. Wall Decor
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Celebrate the rich heritage of Asian craftsmanship with this exquisite 100% silk Suzani textile, meticulously hand-embroidered by skilled artisans. A true work of art, this piece emb...
Category
2010s Central Asian Suzani Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Silk
Modern French Tapestry, Atelier Felletin - Signed Couraud, Edition 1/4 - 1454
Located in Paris, FR
French Hand made Modern French Tapestry AUBUSSON, Atelier Felletin - Signed COURAUD Edition 1/4 - No. 1454
Located a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, we are a French fa...
Category
1960s French Aubusson Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
French Aubusson Tapestry 19th century, Monogramed J. Berton - 177lx80h - N 1484
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
1850s French Aubusson Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Silk
Antique French Tapestry Handmade Tapestry Large Verdure Tapestry 5x9
Located in New York, NY
Antique Tapestry French Figural Tapestry Verdure Battle
5' x 8'10" (5' x 9')
152cm x 269cm
Circa 1900
"This is an Rare Antique French Aubusson Tapestry with monogram signat...
Category
Early 1900s French French Provincial Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
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
18th Century Belgian Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Silk
$25,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Pretty Vintage Aubusson Style Jacquard Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Beautiful vintage French Aubusson style tapestry with a nice design of the nature with trees, vegetation inside the wood, and with a river. and with beautiful colours, entirely woven...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Handwoven, Plant-dyed Framed Fine Tapestry Artwork - Yellows Colour Study
By Pamela Print
Located in Chelmsford, GB
This tactile piece of hand-woven textile art is one of a collection of one-off plant-dyed pieces designed and produced by British Weaver Pamela Print.
This piece is dyed by hand usi...
Category
2010s British Bauhaus Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Antique French Aubusson Rug Hand Woven 1880 6x7ft Traditional 178cm x 206cm
Located in New York, NY
Antique French Aubusson Rug Hand Woven 1880 6x7ft Rare Design 178cm x 206cm
"This is a great example of an authentic antique French Aubusson rug. This is a very fine, flat woven pie...
Category
1880s French French Provincial Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Wall Tapestry – Geometric Composition from the 70s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Wall Tapestry – Geometric Composition from the 70s
This wall tapestry, crafted in France around 1970 by an unknown artist, is an impressive textile work of art that stands out for i...
Category
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Textile
$3,525 / item
French Aubusson Tapestry 19th Century, Bolduc And Numbered - L155xH105 - N° 1422
Located in Paris, FR
A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and
expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....
Category
1860s French Aubusson Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Silk
Vintage Navajo Wool Wall Hanging
Located in Stockholm, SE
Beautiful little tapestry / wall hanging or table decoration with a geometrical Navajo design pattern. Woven with wool on cotton. Very good vintage condition. Dimensions excludes the...
Category
20th Century Unknown Navajo Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
$240 Sale Price
20% Off
32" x 39" Knotted Fiber Art Sculpture, Macrame Wall Hanging, KNITKNOT – nubes
Located in WARMENHUIZEN, NL
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 Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Alpaca, Yarn, Foam
Antique Woolwork Embroidery with Fruit Basket and Bird
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Georgian woolwork on felt, bird with fruit basket embroidery. The embroidery is worked in fine wools on a brown felt-like ground, in a variety of stitches. Colours red, blue, brown, ...
Category
Early 19th Century Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
18th Century Antique Indian Medieval Tapestry after the Battle of Karnal in 1739
Located in Dallas, TX
74417 18th Century Antique Indian Medieval Wall Tapestry after the Battle of Karnal in 1739. This beautiful antique Indian painted tapestry is done on a canvas. It features a hunting battle scene with kings, kingsmen and royalty with multiple types of animals ranging from horses, elephants, lions, birds, peacocks and leopards. This tapestry is possibly in relation to The Battle of Karnal in 1739. The Muhammed Shah fought with Nader Shah...
Category
18th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Medieval Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Fabric
Extra Large Mid Century Modern Tapestry by Yugoslav Artist Mateja Rodiqi
Located in Beograd, RS
In this listing you will find a spectacular, extra large wall hanging tapestry designed by a renowned Yugoslav artist Mateja Rodiqi. Tapestry ...
Category
1960s Serbian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Late 16th Century Brussels Historical Tapestry, with Famed Roman General Scipio
Located in New York, NY
A Brussels historical tapestry, attributed to Martin Reymbouts, late 16th century. From the Story of Scipio series, the renowned Roman general, victorious after the Punic War, with k...
Category
16th Century Belgian Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
$149,995 Sale Price
25% Off
Opticals Wall Hanging Dazzle Handwoven Wool in Black and White
Located in Istanbul, TR
Opticals taps into the visual phenomenon of optical illusions. The collection explores the visual potential of the very basic weaving technique of creating vertical lines.
Inspir...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Modern Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Antique Mamluk Revival Egyptian Khedival Khayamiya Cotton Appliquè Hanging
Located in Milan, IT
Derived from the Arabic 'khayam' (tent), the Egyptian khedival khayamiya are elaborately hand-stitched appliquè cotton hangings, woven in the golden period between 1867 and 1914. Wha...
Category
Late 19th Century Egyptian Revival Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Cotton, Linen
Bobyrug’s Wonderful Vintage French hand printed Tapestry Vendanges museum Design
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Discover the elegance of this mid-century French hand-printed tapestry featuring the exquisite design of the renowned medieval museum tapestry, "Les Vendanges" (grape harvest) from t...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Cotton
Vintage Large Framed Tapestry-French Baroque Art Work
Located in Bussiere Dunoise, Nouvel Aquitaine
Summer Sale: Enjoy FREE IN-HOME delivery to France and special Shipping Offers for many other Countries.
Perfectly crafted Artwork from the 70s in a magnificent golden Frame.
Wonder...
Category
1970s French Baroque Vintage Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Metallic Thread
$318 Sale Price
30% Off
1960's Egyptian Tapestry from Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center in Harrania
Located in Dallas, TX
79221 Vintage Egyptian Kilim Tapestry Rug, 06'00 x 07'08. A magnificent canvas of expression, this handwoven vintage Egyptian tapestry is a testament to enduring artisanship and boun...
Category
Mid-20th Century Egyptian Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool
Vintage Woven Fountain Tapestry 7.2X5.5
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 Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Circa 1590 Flemish Brussels Tapestry Castle King Holy war Hours sword wool silk
By Flemish
Located in Paris, FR
Dans le respect des traditions, cette magnifique tapisserie a été soumise à un nettoyage en profondeur, à la pose d'une doublure en lin cousue à la main, et à une vérification minuti...
Category
16th Century French Aubusson Antique Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Silk
Vintage 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 Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Cotton
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 Fabric Tapestries
Materials
Wool, Silk
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