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Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

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Item Ships From: Continental Europe
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 Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Acrylic

Antique Ivory French Art Deco Carpet
Located in Milan, IT
An outstanding Art Deco carpet distinguished by an ivory background decorated by a large scale floral pattern drawn with intricate detail. Many Art Deco artists took patterns such as...
Category

1920s French Art Deco Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Handmade Antique Persian Tabriz Rug 3.4' x 5.1' (103 x 155 cm), 1920s - 2K01
Located in Bordeaux, FR
This antique Persian Tabriz rug, crafted in the 1920s, is a stunning representation of Persian textile art. Woven from fine wool, it features intricate floral motifs and a rich medal...
Category

1920s German Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Costellazioni III Rug by Dimorestudio
By DIMORESTUDIO, Illulian
Located in Milan, IT
Designed by Dimorestudio, this elegant rug is part of the Limited Edition Collection by Illulian and features a series of triangular shapes in a sophisticated color combination. hand...
Category

2010s Italian Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Silk

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 Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Modern Handwoven Flat-Weave Wool Kilim Rug Black Gold Purple Blue Elegant
Located in Madrid, ES
This rug has been ethically hand woven in the finest wool yarns by artisans in north of India, using a traditional weaving technique which is native of this region. Each rug is handw...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Modern Hand Braided Jute Carpet Rug in Black&Natural Zebra Fellini
Located in Madrid, ES
This jute rug has been ethically hand woven in the finest jute yarns by artisans in India, using a traditional weaving technique of this area. As its handwoven in natural fibre yarns...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Jute

Modern Hand Tufted Wool Rug Made in Spain White, Grey & Beige Abstract Serenity
By Kilombo Home
Located in Madrid, ES
This rug is handmade in Spain using the hand tufting technique. We use only the finest natural yarns, 100% pure virgin wool with a thickness of 15mm. Latex backing - Customize in an...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Beige Chantal Rug
By Sitap Carpet Couture
Located in Milan, IT
From the Sitap carpet couture Italia collection, the beige Chantal rug is all glamour and charm. Boasting a fine texture, the rug features a subtle design made with two different pil...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Textile

Beige Chantal Rug
$7,740 / item
Museum Quality Wiener Werkstätte Wool Rug by Philipp Haas & Söhne, 1910s
By Philipp Haas & Shone
Located in Milan, IT
The Haas weaving company was founded in 1810, and was guided by founder's son Philipp since 1818. Initially they were manufacturers of clothing fabrics, transitioning into upholstery...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Pretty Vintage Aubusson Style Jacquard Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
"Exquisite late 20th-century French tapestry featuring the enchanting design 'VERDURE AU MOULIN' after François Boucher. Capturing nature in its most picturesque form, adorned with p...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Selce #5 Rug By Studio Salaris
By Carpet Edition
Located in Milan, IT
Boasting soothing hues of green and heart tones, this superb rug was designed by Studio Solaris and is part of the Selce Collection. Its unconventional silhouette features a juxtapos...
Category

2010s Italian Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Textile

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 Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Silk

Modernist Aubusson Rug in the Neo Baroque Style Signed JF
By André Arbus
Located in Milan, IT
One of the main trajectories of French Modernism was dedicated towards a revival of a classical iconography. Motivated from a reaction towards the often rigid and austere mood of the...
Category

1930s French Baroque Revival Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Eclypse Wool & Viscose Rug by Sitap Carpet Couture Italia
By Sitap Carpet Couture
Located in Milan, IT
Eclypse carpet best expresses SpaceTime topic, proposed at Salone del Mobile 2022. Infinity moves its shape obtained thanks to Hancarving and Weaving techniques on two levels preciou...
Category

2010s Italian Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Textile

Pretty fine large antique french Aubusson tapestry
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful late 19th century French Aubusson tapestry with a nice design of a village, with nature, trees, birds, a river, chickens. a mill on the edge of the river, village hous...
Category

Late 19th Century French Aubusson Antique Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Silk

Swedish Mid-Century Rölakan Signed Handwoven Wool Carpet
By Ingegerd Silow
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A Mid-Century Modern vintage handmade Swedish carpet in wool featuring a geometric pattern. This greenish colored Scandinavian rug is made and signed by Swedens famous designer Inge...
Category

1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Bobyrug’s Beautiful French Aubusson Style Jaquar Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Elevate your space with a charming French tapestry featuring a gallant village scene. Woven with precision on Jacquard looms in France, this masterpiece showcases couples by the rive...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Fine Portuguese Needlepoint Rug from the Arraiolos Factory, 1940s
Located in Rome, IT
Light pastel blue and beige Portuguese carpet. Interlaced flowers and garlands make up the design of the central field and other decorative elements. This carpet is ideal for a large...
Category

Early 20th Century Portuguese Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Pretty antique french Aubusson tapestry panel
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful antique French Aubusson tapestry fragment featuring flowers and trees With nice natural colours in the hues of yellow, green, pink, purple and brown, entirely hand wov...
Category

Late 19th Century French Aubusson Antique Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Evelina Kroon Ochre Fields Wool Rug
Located in Stockholm, SE
In collaboration with renowned Scandinavian artist Evelina Kroon, Layered introduces a collection that explores the boundary between art and interior design. With references to tradi...
Category

2010s Indian Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Swedish flat weave Röllakan carpet, 1960s
Located in Uppsala, SE
Swedish flat weave Röllakan carpet from the 1960s by unknown designer. Main colours are grey/beige/blue in a few different tones. The pattern consists of a striped base in beige band...
Category

Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Linen

Original Abstract Scandinavian High Pile Abstract Rya Rug Carpet, Sweden, 1960s
By Ege Rya, Verner Panton
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: High pile Rya rug Decade: 1960s Origin: Scandinavia, Sweden Material: 100% wool This rug is a great example of 1960s pop art interior. Made...
Category

Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Cotton

Beautiful New Modern Design Hand Tufted Rug
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful new modern rug with nice Art Deco design and beautiful colors, entirely hand tufted with wool velvet on cotton foundation Custom sizes can be made.
Category

2010s Indian Art Deco Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Beautiful New Modern Design Hand Tufted Rug
Beautiful New Modern Design Hand Tufted Rug
$3,023 Sale Price / item
20% Off
Pretty antique French Aubusson style Jacquard Tapestry, by ludovico marchetti
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Elevate your space with a stunning antique Aubusson-style tapestry from the early 20th century. Meticulously woven on a jacquard loom using a blend of luxurious wool and cotton, this...
Category

Early 20th Century French Aubusson Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Evelina Kroon Berry Rain Wool Rug
Located in Stockholm, SE
In collaboration with renowned Scandinavian artist Evelina Kroon, Layered introduces a collection that explores the boundary between art and interior design. With references to tradi...
Category

2010s Indian Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Bobyrug’s pretty vintage French Aubusson style Jacquard tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
"Experience the timeless elegance of this exquisite French Aubusson style tapestry, capturing the essence of a musical celebration amidst the countryside. Woven on a Jacquard loom wi...
Category

Late 20th Century French Aubusson Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Bobyrug’s Beautiful Antique French Needlepoint Round Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice antique French tapestry with beautiful design and nice colors, entirely hand embroidered with needlepoint method with wool and silk, assembled on a wooden panel. ✨✨✨ "Experienc...
Category

Late 19th Century French Aubusson Antique Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Silk

Pretty Vintage Aubusson Style Jacquard Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Beautiful vintage French Aubusson style tapestry with a nice design of the women and men of the town near the river inside the wood. and with beautiful colours, entirely woven with w...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Murano Swirl Round White Rug
By Carpet Edition
Located in Milan, IT
The invisible ridges traced by whirlwinds are actualized in this stunning round rug, a one-off piece deftly tufted by hand combining wool and cotton. Its characteristic raised textur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Textile

17th century Antique Aubusson/Gobelin tapestry, France Architectural land, silk
Located in Berlin, DE
17th century Antique Aubusson/Gobelin tapestry, France Architectural landscape, silk Antique Museal Aubosson tapestry made of silk and partly wool. Very fine and antique design. Dep...
Category

17th Century French Baroque Antique Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Silk

Tappeto Resistente Tondo Azzurro per Indoor Outdoor di Deanna Comellini Ø250 cm
By Deanna Comellini
Located in Bologna, IT
G.T.DESIGN, brand pioniere del tappeto contemporaneo, allarga ancora di più gli orizzonti dell’arredo outdoor con "Hula Hoop", una collezione di tappeti contemporanei della fondatric...
Category

2010s Indian Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Other

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 and river, a water fountain with statues of angels. and further away, a house...
Category

Late 20th Century French Aubusson Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

1970s Stunning Space Age Rug in Wool. Made in Italy
Located in Milano, IT
1970s Stunning space age rug with an awesome design. Pure wool made in Italy. It's excellent condition. The rug has been professionally washed and disinfected and is ready for use. ...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Wonderful Vintage French screen printed by hand Tapestry
By J. Laurent
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Discover the elegance of this mid-century French screen-printed by hand tapestry featuring the exquisite design of a medieval museum tapestry titled “Charade” This tapestry, a repli...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Medieval Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Linen

Wonderful Vintage French screen printed by hand Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Discover the elegance of this mid-century French screen-printed by hand tapestry featuring the exquisite design of a medieval museum tapestry This tapestry, a replica of the origin...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Medieval Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Linen

Sand Rug by Volver Studios
Located in Geneve, CH
Sand Rug by Volver Studios Dimensions: W 250 x L 350 cm. Materials: Wool and bamboo. Available in seven size options: 90 x 240 cm, 140 x 200 cm, 170 x 240 cm, 200 x 300 cm, 250 x 35...
Category

2010s Norwegian Post-Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Bamboo

Vintage German Sarouk Style Rug, 1970s, 1c972
Located in Bordeaux, FR
Vintage red German rug in traditional Persian Sarouk design. The rug has been made in the end of 20th century, it is in original good condition. The rug is machine made. -condition:...
Category

Late 20th Century German Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Bobyrug’s Pretty Antique French Panel Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice antique french tapestry with beautiful design of nature and birds, and nice colors, mechanical Jaquar manufacturing woven with wool and cotton. ✨✨✨ "Experience the epitome of l...
Category

Late 19th Century French Aubusson Antique Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Bobyrug’s Pretty antique French Aubusson Tapestry medieval design
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Exquisite French tapestry from the mid-20th century, handwoven in the renowned Aubusson workshops. This masterpiece replicates a 15th-century museum tapestry, featuring heraldic moti...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Silk

Custom Hand knotted Rug, after Wassily Kandinsky “Composition VIII”. Wool, silk
By (after) Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Munich, DE
Custom hand knotted rug based on the painting “Composition VIII” by Bauhaus master painter Wassily Kandinsky. Rug size (listed here): 280 x 200 cm / 9.2 x 6.6 ft Material: fine wool. Quality: Tibetan handknotted in 150 knots per square inch. Very exact translation of the original artwork as a handknotted rug, created by weaving approx. 1.3 million knots per hand or the rug in the listed size. Approx. 230 000 handmade knots per square meter. Colors: 26 custom-dyed colors. Main colors in the rug: warm base in ivory cream and abstract composition in the main colours dark orchid purple, sky blue and steel blue, golden yellow, maroon brown and saddle brown, firebrick red and dark sea green. Sustainable and certified fair-trade artisanal production. Label Step fair-trade partners. This elegant, lively rug is made entirely by hand using traditional weaving techniques. Numbered limited edition of maximum 100 fine handmade rugs with this art piece. Each rug comes with a sewn-on label with an image of the artist’s signature and numbered by hand, per order. This beautiful rug can also be ordered in even more luxurious materials like pure silk or mohair, and in plant-based materials like Tencel and linen. A combination of materials is possible as well. Production time may increase for these options, depending on material availability. Production time for this rug is between is approximately 12-14 weeks. For environmental reasons and to provide our full bespoke service, our rugs are always made to order. -- About the artwork on which this rug is based: “Composition VIII”: Wassily Kandinsky created “Composition VIII” in 1923. The painting represents the Kandinsky’s transition from his Munich style of Expressionism to abstract geometric form and structure and is considered a peak in his work during that period. “Composition VIII” is characterized by the use of tools such as compasses and rulers to draw circular and parallel-linear geometric shapes. This technique was influenced by the Russian painter Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Indian Bauhaus Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Other

Nice vintage French Aubusson Style Jacquard Tapestry « Autumn-winter »
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
"Exquisite French tapestry from the mid-20th century, featuring a beautiful design titled « Automne-Hiver» ( Autumn-winter ) and nice colours, woven at renowned Jules Pansu workshops...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Acrylic

Zoom Cocout Wool And Viscose Rug by Sitap Carpet Couture Italia
By Sitap Carpet Couture
Located in Milan, IT
The Zoom carpet, designed by Camilla Bellini for Sitap Carpet Couture Italia, combines wool and viscose in a floral-inspired, stylized pattern with a striking three-dimensional effec...
Category

2010s Italian Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Hand Tufted Rug by Artistica Atoll, Tisca Switzerland 1980s
Located in Debrecen, HU
Add a touch of modern elegance to any room with this vintage Tisca rug. Made in Switzerland in the 1980s, this rug will brighten up any space. Measuring 240 cm long and 170 cm wide, ...
Category

1980s Swiss Modern Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

'Hayon x Nani' Hand-Tufted Runner by Jaime Hayon for Nanimarquina
By Nanimarquina, Sybilla
Located in Glendale, CA
'Hayon x Nani' Hand-Tufted runner by Jaime Hayon for Nanimarquina. Executed in 100% hand-tufted New Zealand wool. The 'Hayon x Nani' collection faithfull...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Mid-Century Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Pretty small 20th century french Aubusson tapestry
By atelier robert four
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful 20th century Aubusson tapestry with a design of tapestries from 18th or 18th centuries, with the nature and with trees with bird and the river, a country house behind,...
Category

1970s French Aubusson Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Silk

Rectangular Metamorphosis Wool and Art Silk Rug FB Collection
By Franco Bianchini
Located in Milan, IT
This beautiful, beige-toned rug made from wool and artificial silk has been hand-tufted. Throw this rectangular rug into the floor of any home or office space for a bit of added eleg...
Category

2010s Italian Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool, Silk

Original Scandinavian Rya Rug by Oili Mäki for Finnrya Oy AB, Finland
By Finnrya Oy AB
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article: Original huge 1950s Rya rug Producer: Finnrya Oy AB, Finland This rug is a great example of 1950s pop art interior. Made in high quality finish Rya h...
Category

Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Swedish Mid-Century Rölakan Rug Handwoven Wool Carpet
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A Mid-Century Modern vintage handmade Swedish carpet in wool featuring a geometric pattern. This greenish colored Scandinavian rug is made and signed by MJ from 1950 and 1970 and thi...
Category

1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Victor Vasarely, Hand Signed Original Tapestry
By Victor Vasarely
Located in Geneve, CH
Victor Vasarely (1906-1997). Panderlak,  circa 1983 Measures: 120 x 72 cm Hand signed and numbered on the back, edition of 320. Victor Vasarely, whose original name was Gyözö ...
Category

1980s French Modern Vintage Continental Europe - Western European Rugs

Materials

Wool

Tapestry Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period 1738 at the Gobelins
By Aubusson Manufacture
Located in Madrid, ES
Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period , made in 1738 at the Gobelins One panel from a series of Gobelins tapestries depicting the History of Esther, illustrating Esther seated and attended by handmaidens, one washing her feet in golden basin, another fastening a bracelet, another offering a mirror, all observed by Mordecai, woven in the workshop of Michele Audran after a design by J. F. de Troy. The Toilet of Esther c.1778-85.Royal Collection Trust-Queens Audience Chamber Windsor Castle The Sketches for the Esther Cycle by Jean-François de Troy (1736) “and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mor’decai, ..., took for his own daughter.” (Est. 2:7) A supple and undulating genius, both a flattering portraitist and a prolix history painter, as well as a brilliant genre painter, in a gallant or worldly vein, Jean-François de Troy (Paris, 1679 – Rome, 1752), solicited, although he had passed the threshold of old age, a new royal commission up to his ambitions. To obtain it, he submitted – successfully - for the approval of the Bâtiments du roi (administration), seven modelli painted in 1736 with his usual alacrity. Inspired by one of the most novelistic texts of the Old Testament, the Book of Esther, these sketches in a rapid and virtuoso manner were transformed by the artist, between 1737 and 1740 into large cartoons intended to serve as models for the weavers of the Gobelins factory. Showing undeniable ease and skill in the composition in perfect harmony with the sensitivities of the times, the tapestry set met with great success. The Story of Esther perfectly corresponded to the plan of the Bâtiments du roi to renew the repertoire of tapestry models used for the weavers of the royal factories while it also conformed to the tastes of Louis XV’s subjects for a fantastical Orient, the set for a dramatic tale in which splendour, love and death were combined. Indeed, no tapestry set was woven in France during the 18th century as often as that of Esther. The series of modelli painted by de Troy during the year 1736 looks to the history of French painting and decoration under Louis XV as much as it does the history of the Gobelins. It probably counts among the most important rococo pictorial groups to have remained in private hands. First the Biblical source illustrated by De Troy which constitutes the base of one of the richest iconographical traditions of Western art will be considered. Then the circumstances and specific character of French civilisation during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV which contributed to making the theme of Esther a relevant subject, both attractive to contemporaries and remarkably in line with the sensitivities of the time will be elucidated. An examination of the exceptional series of sketches united here, the cartoons and the tapestries that they anticipate as well as a study of their reception will close this essay. The Book of Esther: A scriptural source at the source of rich iconography. The origin of the Esther tapestry set by Jean-François de Troy – origin and creation of a masterpiece According to the evidence of one of the artist’s early biographers, the chevalier de Valory, author of a posthumous elegy of the master, read at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 6 February 1762, it was apparently due to early16 rivalry with François Lemoyne (1688-1737), his younger colleague who had precisely just been appointed First Painter to the King in 1736, that had encouraged François de Troy to seek a commission allowing him to show off his ease and his promptitude at the expense of a rival who was notoriously laborious: “M. De Troy, retaining some resentment of the kind of disadvantage which he believed to have suffered compared with his emulator looked to regain some territory by making use of the facility his rival did not possess. Lemoyne was excessively long in the creation of his works,and M. De Troy of a rare celerity: consequently, with this particular talent, the latter offered to the court to make paintings appropriate to be executed at the Gobelins Factory; and it is to this circumstance that we owe the beautiful series of the Story of Esther, which would be sufficient alone to give him a great reputation.”17 Beyond the suspicion inspired by the topos, which still constitutes, more or less, a tale of rivalries between artists in ancient literature, there is probably some truth in what Valory reports although A.-J. Dezalier d’Argenville (who indicates rather spitefully that de Troy did not hesitate to “cut prices” to impose himself, benefitting from the productivity assured by the unlikely rapidity of his brush)18 proves to be more evasive: “As he looked to busy himself, he had offered to make the paintings that serve as models for the King’s tapestries cheaply: which did not please his colleagues. He was given a choice of two tapestry series to be made and he took the Story of Esther and that of Jason”.19 Whether or not the choice was actually left to de Troy (which would appear rather casual on the royal administration’s part all the same), it seems likely that the artist, whose contemporaries extol his “fire”, as the faculty of invention was then called, must have ardently aspired to the possibility of using on a very large scale the “creative genius” with which Dezallier d’Argenville credits him. The decoration of the private apartments, the fashion for which Louis XV had promoted at Versailles and Fontainebleau, offered little opportunity to excel in this area. Other than painting for altarpieces, only tapestries could allow comparison with Lemoyne who had been granted – unfortunately for him – a major decoration: the enormous ceiling of the Hercules Room at Versailles. Favoured by the recent improvement in France’s financial situation, the revival of patronage offered de Troy a commission fitting for him, in a field in which, however, he had hardly any experience. Anxious to renew the repertoire of models available to the Gobelins factory, the Duc d’Antin, surintendant des Bâtiments du roi from 1708 to 1736 followed by his successor, Philibert Orry comte de Vignory, gave him the task of producing seven large cartoons inspired by the Book of Esther corresponding to the brilliant sketches or modelli which de Troy had produced in one go, or almost (very few preparatory drawings can in fact be linked to the Esther cycle and all seem to be at the execution stage of the cartoons).20 Subjected to the approval of the Administration des Bâtiments according to the procedure in use for projects being planned for the Gobelins, sketches made rapidly during 1736 were approved and the project launched immediately. Thereupon came the news of François Lemoyne’s death, who, ground down by work and a victim of his private torment, committed suicide on 4 June 1737. Against all expectations, de Troy did not replace his rival in the position of First Painter (which remained vacant until the appointment of Charles Coypel in January 1747), which would perhaps have made him too obviously the beneficiary of the drama. The awarding of the position of Director of the French Academy in Rome came to console him while he had already produced (or he was in the process of finishing), in Paris, three of the seven cartoons of the cycle (The Fainting of Esther finished in 1737 and the Toilet and Coronation of Esther, both finished in 1738). De Troy, we can see, did not follow the order of the narrative but began with the subjects which apparently offered the least difficulty because he had already depicted them, or because they fall into a strong pictorial tradition (such is the case especially for the Fainting of Esther). He had hardly settled at the Palazzo Mancini in August 1738, when his first task which awaited the new director of the French Academy naturally consisted of honouring the royal commission and finishing without delay the final cartoons of the Story of Esther after the sketches he must have taken with him. As prompt as ever, de Troy discharged himself of the execution of the four remaining cartoons in only two years, by beginning with the largest format which allowed him to strike the imagination and to impose himself as soon as he arrived on the Roman stage: the Triumph of Mor’decai which was finished in 1739 (like Esther’s Banquet). The following year, the Mor’decai's Disdain and The Sentencing of Haman were brought to an end in the same Neo-Venetian style, obviously tributary to Veronese with its choice of “open” monumental architecture which is characteristic of the entire cycle.21 The series, it should be noted, was almost augmented with some additional scenes in the mid 1740s. Indeed, the first tapestry set finished at the Gobelins in 1744 proved to be unsuitable for the arrangement of the Dauphine’s apartments at Versailles for which it had been intended to decorate the walls the following year (cf infra). Informed of this, de Troy, considering that the story of Esther offered “several good subjects,” immediately offered to illustrate one or new subject among those “which could appear to be the most interesting”. The directeur des Bâtiments Orry, who managed the State’s accounts, obviously judged it less costly to have one of the tapestries widened to fill in the end of the Dauphine’s bedroom,22 which has probably deprived us of very original compositions, because de Troy had already illustrated the most famous themes, those that benefitted from a strongly established iconographical tradition and from which it was not easy to deviate The Tapestry Set of the Story of Esther Placed on the tapestry looms of the Gobelins at the end of the 1730s in Michel Audran’s workshop, the cycle created by de Troy aroused true infatuation. The few hundred tapestries made between 1738 and 1797 – all in high-warp tapestry and woven in wool and silk except for four in low-warp made in Neilson’s workshop – show the impressive success of a tapestry set that was without any doubt the most frequently woven of the 18th century in France. 29 Only three cartoons had been delivered by de Troy in 1738 when the first tapestry set was begun by Audran under the expert eye of Jean-Baptiste Oudry to whom the Directeur général des bâtiments, Philibert Orry had assigned the (weekly) supervision of the weaving. During the summer of 1738, the piece of the Fainting of Esther, which Oudry judged to be admirable, was finished. During the winter of 1742, Oudry informed Orry that about two ells of the Triumph of Mor’decai had been made “with no faults”,that the Coronation of Esther was finished and that the Esther at her Toilet “a very gracious tapestry” was “a little over half” finished. Exhibited at Versailles in 1743, these two last pieces were admired by Louis XV and the Court. On 3 December 1744, the set of seven tapestries was finally delivered to the Garde Meuble. It was intended, the honour was not slight, to decorate the apartments of the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain whose marriage to the young Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand had been fixed for the following year (it took place on 23 February 1745). Apparently it was thought that the theme of Esther the biblical heroine and wife of a foreign sovereign was appropriate for the apartments of the Spanish Dauphine. As early as the month of March, the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel informed de Troy that her grand cabinet was decorated with the “Esther tapestry set” specifying however that “for lack of two small or one large piece, we have not been able to decorate the end of the room”. This difficulty led immediately to the Banquet episode being woven a second time in two parts (they were delivered to the Garde-Meuble on 30 December 1746) to garnish the panels on each side of the bed of the Dauphine who would hardly enjoy them (she died on 22 July 1746 and the decoration was installed for the new Dauphine Maria Josepha of Saxony). The appearance of the set’s remarkable border, which imitated a richly sculpted wooden frame, should be mentioned. Conceived in 1738 by the ornamentalist Pierre Josse-Perrot and used in the later weavings until 1768, it tended to reinforce the resolutely painterly appearance of the tapestry set which, in this regard, pushed the art of tapestry as far as its ultimate mimetic possibilities. With the exception of Mor’decai's Disdain which had been removed earlier, the “editio princeps” of the story of Esther (from then on in nine pieces) remained at Versailles until the Revolution. Of the eight surviving tapestries, four are at the chateau of Compiègne and four belong today to the Mobilier National. No less than seven tapestry sets reputed to be complete (one of them in fact only had six tapestries) would be produced officially at the Gobelins up to 1772. Literature: 1- The Œuvres mêlées of an emulator of Racine, the Abbé Augustin NADAL thus include an Esther. Divertissement spiritual which is exactly contemporary with Jean François de Troy’s cycle since it was performed in 1735 and published in Paris three years later. 2-Le Siècle de Louis XIV, 1751, 1785 ed., p. 96-97 for French ed. 3- Lemoyne and de Troy had been obliged to share the First Prize in the competition organised in 1727 between the most prominent history painters of the Académie Royale. 4- Mémoires…, pub. L. DUSSIEUX et al., 1854, II, p.265. 5-The fact that de Troy, at the risk of falling out with his colleagues, did not hesitate to make use of prices in order to convince the new directeur des Bâtiments Philibert Orry, is confirmed by Mariette who adds tersely “it caused much shouting” (pub. 1851-1860, II, p. 103). 6- Abrégé de la vie des plus fameux peintres…, ed. 1762, IV, p. 368-369 20 Early comments on the painter are inclined to present him as a kind of “pure painter”, doing without the medium of drawing, a few intermediary studies between the Esther sketches and the large cartoons at the Louvre nevertheless show that de Troy used red chalk (see in the catalogue, the notice for the Meal of Esther and Ahasuerus under the entry drawing) to change one or other figure. 7-C. GASTINEL-COURAL (cat. exp. PARIS, 1985, p. 9-13) as well as the article by J. VITTET, exh. cat. LA ROCHE-GUYON, 2001, p. 51-55. 8-The Hermitage in St. Petersburg conserves five tapestries of these two royal gifts whose provenance still awaits elucidation (as far as we are aware). In 1766, the Grand Marshal of Russia, Count Razumovski (or Razamowski), acquired the Fainting and the Banquet extracted from the sixth weaving (J. VITTET, 2001, p. 53). 9- Lettres écrites de Suisse, d’Italie…,quoted by J. VITTET, op. cit., p. 54. 10-The tapestry set remained in the hands of a branch of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family until 1933 (ibid. P. 54). 11-Quoted by Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, p. 97, note 269. 12-Y. CANTAREL-BESSON, 1992, p. 241. Catalogue The Esther at her Toilet Oil on canvas, 57 x 51 cm Provenance: Painted in 1736 at the same time as the six other modelli of the Story of Esther intended to be presented, for approval, to the direction des Bâtiments du Roi; perhaps identifiable among a lot of sketches by Jean-François de Troy in the post mortem inventory of the amateur, historian and critic Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786) drawn up on 13 January 1786 and following days (A.N. T 978, n° 30) then in the sale of the property of the deceased, Paris, 12 June 1786, n° 33; Paris, François Marcille Collection (who owned a series of six sketches from which the Triumph of Mor’decai was missing, see infra); Paris, Marcille Sale, Hôtel Drouot, 12-13 January 1857, n° 36; Asnières, Mme de Chavanne de Palmassy ( ?) collection; Paris, Galerie Cailleux; Paris, Humbert de Wendel collection (acquired from the Galerie Cailleux in 1928); by inheritance in the same family; Paris, Sotheby’s, 23 June 2011, n° 61. In order not to add unnecessarily to the technical commentary on each work, the catalogue raisonné by Chr. Leribault which contains a substantial bibliography on the series should be referred to. The other bibliographical references only concern the publications and exhibitions to have appeared and been presented more recently. Bibliography and Exhibitions: Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, n° P. 247 (repr.); E. LIMARDO DATURI, 2004, p. 28; Exh. cat. NANTES, 2011, p. 138, n° 34, referred to in note 1; Sotheby’s catalogue, Tableaux anciens et du XIXe siècle, 23 June 2011, n° 61 (repr.). Related Works: Tapestry cartoon: The cartoon (oil on canvas, 329 x 320 cm), the third made by the artist in Paris after the sketches had been approved by the direction des Bâtiments, is in the Louvre (Inv. 8315). It previously bore the painter’s signature and the date 1738 (inscriptions which are found on the tapestries). The royal administration paid 1600 livres for it on 21 June 1738 and it was exhibited at the Salon in the year of its creation. Summary Biography 1679 (27 January): Baptism in Paris (Parish of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet) of Jean-François de Troy, son of the painter François de Troy and Jeanne Cotelle, sister of the painter Jean II Cotelle. 1696-1698: Studies (apparently rather turbulent) at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. 1698-1708: First trip to Italy. Is obliged to leave Rome in January 1711 after a tempestuous affair (a duel?), de Troy extends the traditional Roman experience as a pensionnaire at the Académie de France by also visiting Tuscany where he stays for a long time, Venice (his art in face has a strongly Venetian character) and Genoa. 1708: De Troy (whose father had been elected Director of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 7 July) is agréé and immediately received at the Académie with Apollo and Diana Piercing with their Arrows the Children of Niobe (Montpellier, Musée Fabre) on 28 July. 1710: First royal commission, paid for on 10 May (a sketch representing “the Promotion of the Order of the Holy Spirit” for the tapestry series of the History of the King). 1716: Jean-François de Troy is elected Assistant Professor at the Academy. 1720: He is appointed Professor. 1723: The artist creates the double portrait of Louis XV...
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