Europe - Western European Rugs
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Item Ships From: Europe
Lilac Giro Rug by Gandia Blasco
Located in Geneve, CH
Lilac Giro Rug by Gandia Blasco
Design by MUT Design
Dimensions: W 132 x H 324 cm.
Materials: 100% wool.
Weight: 18,5 kg
Passion for life outdoors, a dream come true on the edge of...
Category
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
21th Century Minimal Sand Wool Rug Rectangular Modern Organic Black Lines
By Hommes Studio
Located in Porto, PT
21th Century Minimal Sand Wool Rug Rectangular Modern Organic Black Lines
Hydrus Rug is a modern organic rug inspired by the daring movement of wat...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Nice Vintage Aubusson Style Jaquar Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Beautiful Aubusson style tapestry with nice design with a gallant scene and nice colors, mechanical Jaquar manufacturing with wool and cotton.
Size: 100 x 140 cm.
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Trendy Shiny Rug 70 V
By Sitap Carpet Couture
Located in Milan, IT
Eclectic, bold and bright, the Trendy Shiny 70 V is the perfect solution if you are looking for a solid-colored rug with a big personality. It takes pride of place in the bedroom, li...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Textile
21th Century Modern Design Irregular Organic Shaped Hand-Tufted Rug Pastel Beige
Located in Porto, PT
Tapis Pastel #06 is a pastel rug that mixes Mid-Century Modern vibes with Memphis Design style. The combination of sandy and creamy hues adds elegance and romanticism to the room.
This pastel area rug...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Very Beautiful Antique Pair of silk velvet Curtains
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Wonderful pair of curtains from late 19th century, with a nice silk velvet tissue and a needlepoint band applied on it.
Size of each piece is 105x295 cm
✨✨✨
"Experience the epitome o...
Category
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Silk
Højer Eksport Wilton Rug, Denmark 1960s
By Hojer Eksport Wilton
Located in Hellouw, NL
øjer Eksport Wilton was a Danish company known for high-quality, durable carpets with bold mid-century designs. Their wool rugs remain sought after for their craftsmanship and striki...
Category
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Fabric
Espansione and Luce by Giacomo Balla
By Boralevi Firenze
Located in Milan, IT
As its name suggests, this superb rug is an explosion of light that seems to emanate from the center in a kaleidoscope of colors. Based on the eponymous 1987 painting by Futurist art...
Category
2010s Italian Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Textile
Pretty early 20th century French Aubusson style Jacquard Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very pretty antique french Aubusson style tapestry with beautiful design from the nature with an eagle. Woven on Jacquard loom with wool and cotton.
✨✨✨
"Experience the epitome of lu...
Category
Early 20th Century French Aubusson Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Modern Handwoven Jute Carpet Rug Kilim in Ivory Black Orange Pink Green Mikado
By Kilombo Home
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Jute
Pretty Vintage Aubusson Style medieval museum design Jacquard Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
very beautiful Aubusson style tapestry, with a design of a medieval Rhenish tapestry (1480-1490) Basel (Switzerland), representing a royal court of France, the arms of France, with b...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Pretty mid 20th century french Aubusson tapestry
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful 20th century Aubusson tapestry with a design with a signature « Popelin » , probably iinspired by the paintings of French painter « Francois Boucher » with the shepher...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Silk
Small 'Shade' Hand-Loomed Outdoor Rug for Nanimarquina
By Nanimarquina, Begüm Cana Özgür
Located in Glendale, CA
Small 'Shade' Hand-Loomed outdoor rug for Nanimarquina.
The 'Shade' collection is inspired by magical moments in nature where colors melt elegantly into one another and speak for ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Polyester
Modern Eco-Friendly Retro Handmade Rug with Irregular Shape
By Hommes Studio
Located in Porto, PT
Tapis Retro #001 is a retro rug with an irregular shape and neutral colors. Inspired by architectural lines, this recto rug makes a statement in any living space.
Using a 3D-tufted...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Natural Fiber
Mid-Century Modern Rug Ethnic Geometric Pattern Beige Brown, Mustard, Black
By Hommes Studio
Located in Porto, PT
Mid-Century Modern Rug Ethnic Geometric Pattern Beige Brown, Mustard, Black
The Saffron Rug captures the essence of vibrancy and warmth, inspired by saffr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Synthetic, Natural Fiber
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton
C F A Voysey for Liberty & Co. a Rare 'Glenmure' Donegal Rug with Rich Colors
By Liberty & Co., Charles Voysey
Located in London, GB
C F A Voysey for Liberty & Co.
An original 'Glenmure' Donegal rug. The color is wonderful, rich, and very vibrant without any fading and a lovely deep pile underfoot. This is an extremely rare rug...
Category
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Magic Stepping Stones Vibrant Multicolour Contemporary Runner Skinny Size
By Sonya Winner
Located in London, GB
Magic Stepping Stones (Vibrant) is a highly interactive and visually striking design that celebrates the power of colour in transforming homes.
The irregular shape and unusual compo...
Category
2010s British Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Modern Handwoven Polypropylene Outdoor Rug Carpet Light Green&Turquoise Gelato
By Kilombo Home
Located in Madrid, ES
This rug has been ethically hand woven in polypropylene yarns by artisans in north of India, using a traditional weaving technique which is native of this region.
It´s resistant to ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Acrylic
Very Large Swedish Flat-Weave Rölakan Carpet by Anne Marie Boberg, 1960´s
By Anne Marie Boberg
Located in Stockholm, SE
A large flat-weave rölakan carpet / kelim rug named "PRISMA" and designed by Anne Marie Boberg, Sweden. Handwoven with a geometric pattern where the colors are different shades of bl...
Category
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Linen, Wool
Italian modern rectangular rug with brown and orange geometric decorations 1970s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern rectangular rug with brown and orange geometric decorations 1970s
Rectangular short pile rug. The rug is decorated with regular geometric shapes of different sizes tha...
Category
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Fabric
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Teklan Frame Wool Rug Pistachio Camel
Located in Stockholm, SE
This product is part of the Prism Palette collection, an exclusive collaboration between LAYERED and the Scandinavian visionary artist and designer Tekla Evelina Severin, known as Te...
Category
2010s Indian Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
1960s Mid Century Modern Retro English Circular Shagpile Rya Sun Design Rug
Located in London, GB
1960s mid century modern retro English shagpile rya rug. Made from nylon and wool in different shades of orange, green, yellow and brown. A green sun design with yellow abstract fl...
Category
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Nylon
Large mid century French Cogolin rug
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Beautiful mid century French Cogolin rug with a nice decorative and simple design, with a white pile of design on the orange foundation, hand made by wool on wool foundation
Damage...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Santorini Sunrise Geometric Greek Modern Area Rug Standard Size
By Sonya Winner
Located in London, GB
The ‘Santorini Sunrise’ contemporary rug design proudly showcases the distinctive features of Cycladic architecture, drawing upon the island’s rich heritage. Reflecting the iconic cu...
Category
2010s British Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
'Collage 1966' Rug by Eduardo Chillida for Nanimarquina
By Nanimarquina, Eduardo Chillida
Located in Glendale, CA
'Collage 1966' rug by Eduardo Chillida for Nanimarquina.
Born in 1924, Eduardo Chillida was a celebrated and prolific Spanish sculptor. He began his life work in Paris, but it wa...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Mid-Century Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Scandinavian Modern Danish Orange and Yellow Wool Rya Rug
Located in Vienna, AT
This Scandinavian high pile rug has been designed and produced in Denmark 1960s.
Charming and very decorative graphic design carpet in wonderful shades of orange and yellow. Looks fa...
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Contemporary Round Rug Geometric Pattern Brown, Dark Red, Black & White
By Hommes Studio
Located in Porto, PT
Contemporary Round Rug Geometric Pattern Brown, Dark Red, Black & White
Designed to evoke a world of smooth elegance and deep intensity, the Tapis Fig Round Rug’s texture mimics the ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Synthetic, Natural Fiber
Rare French Cubist Maison Myrbor Rug by Louis Marcoussis, Circa 1925
By Louis Marcoussis
Located in Milan, IT
Maison Myrbor was a French manufacturer and retailer of carpets founded by Marie Cuttoli (1879-1973). The first workshop was set up in her home in Sétif,...
Category
1920s Algerian Art Deco Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Bobyrug’s Pretty mid century Brutalist Macrame tapestry town design
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Introducing a Modern Design meets Neo Classic with a touch of Bohemian flair! Elevate your space with our exquisite macramé hangings. Crafted from natural materials like cotton rope ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Spanish Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Missoni carpet for T&J Vestor
By Missoni
Located in Milano, IT
Large wool carpet featuring designs by the renowned fashion house Missoni, founded by Ottavio Missoni, for T&J Vestor, a company specializing in manufacturing for prominent fashion b...
Category
1980s Italian Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Pretty mid century french Aubusson tapestry « the sleeping hunter »
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Chasseurs endormi ( the sleeping hunter )
Very beautiful mid 20th century French Aubusson tapestry featuring a part of the famous painting of J.B Huet, titled « hunters rest ». With ...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Silk
Modern Rectangular Ethnic Beige Rug Organic Irregular Stripes Pattern Red, Brown
By Hommes Studio
Located in Porto, PT
Modern Ethnic Beige Rug Organic Irregular Stripes Pattern Red, Brown
The Dill Rug brings a refreshing character between tradition and modernity to your space. An organic and irregul...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Organic Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Synthetic, Natural Fiber
Pretty Fine Antique French Aubusson Tapestry
By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful and fine Aubusson tapestry with a nice design featuring an elegantly dressed boy, with beautiful natural colours, with blue, red, green and beige, entirely and finely...
Category
Early 1900s French Aubusson Antique Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Silk
Pretty Mid Century French Aubusson style Jacquard Tapestry, « by Goya »
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very pretty mid century french Aubusson style tapestry with beautiful design from the painter « Francisco de Goya (1775-1792) for the royal manufactury of Tapestry »
Tapestry crafte...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Aubusson Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton
Contemporary Abstract Shape Rug with Surrealist Motifs Black & White in Wool
By Hommes Studio
Located in Porto, PT
Tapis Shaped #029 also known as Ray Rug is an avant-garde piece by HOMMÉS Studio x TAPIS Studio. Part of our Shaped Collection that is perfect for an irreverent interior look, from t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Synthetic, Natural Fiber
Scandinavian-style rug by Samit Borgosesia, Italy, 1970s
Located in Firenze, FI
A carpet 182 cm. in diameter, worked in Scandinavian style, the background is in a soft beige, a choice that enhances the softness of the pure New Zealand wool of which it is made. I...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Modern Handwoven Jute Carpet Rug Ivory
By Kilombo Home
Located in Madrid, ES
This jute rug has been ethically hand woven in the finest jute yarns by artisans in Northern India, using a traditional weaving technique of this area.
Each rug is handwoven with irr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Jute
Alice Crawley Bamboo Forrest Wool Rug Blue
Located in Stockholm, SE
Alice Crawley Bamboo Wool Rug is part of the design collaboration Alice Crawley x LAYERED. The rugs are made of 100% wool with a cut pile for a sharp and clean finish. The colors hav...
Category
2010s Indian Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Silk
Garden, Jean Picart Le Doux - Moderne Signed French Carpet Rug - N° 1487
Located in Paris, FR
Garden, Jean Picart Le Doux
Modern French Rug
This rug is Signed with Bolduc on the back, Dimension 200x300
Rare and Very Beautiful wool rug with exotic foliage patterns
Limited edi...
Category
20th Century Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Beautiful 1960s French Hand Knotted Rug Signed Jacques Borker
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Wonderful original French mid-20th century modern rug, with beautiful abstract design and nice colors with pink, yellow, black, blue and green, entirely hand knotted with wool velvet...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
No. 2 Danish Modern Pop Art Wool Rya Rug by Hojer Eksport Wilton, 1960s, Denmark
By Hojer Eksport Wilton
Located in Kirchlengern, DE
Article:
high pile rya rug
Origin:
Denmark
Producer:
Hojer Eksport Wilton, Denmark
Description:
this rug is a great example of 60s pop art interior. made in high quali...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Handmade Carpet Rare Antique Rugs, English Axminster Art Deco Rug
Located in Wembley, GB
Antique English Axminster handmade carpet is very famous as English designer rug in excellent condition, circa 1880s.
This red rug is kind of traditional patterned rugs has a most elegant design with attractive color combinations. And is a very good idea as a large living room rugs or dining room rugs. These large area rugs have very highly recommended by the interior designer as a luxury rug. And getting more attention in the Oriental rug store by clients.
Handmade carpet rare antique rugs...
Category
1880s English Art Deco Antique Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Cotton, Organic Material
21th Century Modern Minimal White Round Rug Organic Black Pattern
By Hommes Studio
Located in Porto, PT
Contemporary Minimal White Round Rug with Organic Black Pattern
The Coffee Round Rug is rich and captivating, exuding a deep, bewitching warmth that envelops your space in a comfort...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Synthetic, Natural Fiber
Carpet designed by Pierre Balmain France 1970s for Van Neder
By Pierre Balmain
Located in Firenze, FI
This carpet, designed by Pierre Balmain in the 1970s in France, is a rare example of the "Kyoto" pattern and was produced in Belgium by the Van Neder company.
Worked in wool, it has...
Category
1970s French Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
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 Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Silk
Outstanding Art Deco Chinese Rug with Cubist Border by Nichols & Co.
By Nichols
Located in Milan, IT
Only a very limited group of the carpets woven during the thirties at the Tianjin city looms are decorated by geometric patterns typical of the Art Deco period. Some of these rare pi...
Category
1930s Chinese Art Deco Vintage Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool
Bobyrug’s Wonderful Fine Antique French Aubusson Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful and fine Aubusson tapestry with a nice design of the royal court with knights, and very beautiful colors, entirely and finely handwoven with wool and silk, at the famo...
Category
Early 20th Century French Aubusson Europe - Western European Rugs
Materials
Wool, Silk
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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