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18th Century Tapestries

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Period: 18th Century
Early 18th Century Needlework Picture Depicting Angels
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Early 18th Century Antique Silkwork Embroidery Picture. The embroidery is worked in silk on linen ground, in tent stitch or petit point. Colours pinks, blues, cream, gold, greens and...
Category

Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Vertical 18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry
Located in Miami, FL
Vertical 18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry Wool and silk tapestry verdure scenery depicting a peaceful scenery with lush trees and vegetation, hamlet scenery. Vivid colors and gr...
Category

Belgian Baroque Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

French 18th Century Verdure Tapestry
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This romantic 18th Century verdure tapestry will transport you to an idyllic riparian town nestled in the hills of the French countryside. Done in autumnal colors of burnt oranges, g...
Category

French Other Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Louis XIV Style Antique French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, Venus and Adonis
By Gobelins Royal Manufactory, Peter Paul Rubens, Francesco Albani
Located in Dallas, TX
Louis XIV Style Antique French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, Venus and Adonis Wall Hanging 13'09 x 09'05. Drawing inspiration by Italian Baroque painter, Francesco Albani...
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French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

1077 - 18th Century Tapestry Aubusson Workshop
Located in Paris, FR
1077 - 18th century tapestry from the Aubusson Manufacture. Representation The Capture Of Birds Perfect state of conservation.
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

A Rare 18th Century Middle Eastern Silk and Silver Thread Green Velvet Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A Rare 18th Century Middle Eastern Silk and Silver Thread Green Velvet Tapestry. Presenting a rare and exceptional find, this 18th-century Middle Eastern silk and silver thread gree...
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Asian Islamic Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk, Velvet

8ft 18th Century Hand Woven Aubusson Verdure Tapestry
Located in Las Vegas, NV
This incredible 18th Century European Hand-Woven Aubusson Verdure Wool Tapestry is an incredible piece of history and art. It is a large piece measuring just over 8ft tall and over ...
Category

Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

18th Century Large Abusson Tapestry
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
A luxurious 18th century Aubusson tapestry, depicting a rural landscape in which three shepherds watch helplessly as one of their lambs is carried off by an opportunistic wolf. Hand-...
Category

French Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Antique Verdure Tapestry
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
This exquisite antique Verdure tapestry is a true work of art, beautifully handwoven to depict a serene nature scene. The design showcases lus...
Category

European Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Tapestry, Wool, Silk

Antique 18th Century French Landscape Verdure Tapestry, with Birds in the Woods
Located in New York, NY
An antique 18th century French Beauvais landscape verdure tapestry, size 12'1 H x 10'1 W. This tapestry features a group of birds in a verdant woodland setting near a bridge, with th...
Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

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

Belgian Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century Verdure "Exotique" Wool and Silk Tapestry from Flanders
Located in Dallas, TX
Hand-woven in Flanders (part of modern-day Belgium) during the 1700s, this wool and silk tapestry features a thick canopy of trees outside of a walled city. This style of weaving, kn...
Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Early 18th century Flemish antique tapestry 10x13 Verdure Wool & Silk 297x384cm
Located in New York, NY
Early 18th Century Antique Flemish Tapestry Fine Verdure Wool & Silk 9'9" x 12'7"(10x13) 297cm x 384cm Circa 1720 "This is a very fine Authentic Antique Flemish wool & silk Tapest...
Category

French Baroque Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

French 18th Century Tapestry 6'5 x 5'5
Located in New York, NY
French 18th century tapestry. Two women and a young child sit attentively as a man appears to be telling a story. Off in the distance sailboats roam around the water as seabirds fly ...
Category

French Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century French Aubusson Tapestry
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A large 18th Century French Aubusson verdure tapestry. Lots of lush, verdant foliage frames the view on to castle ruins. The tapestry is in good condition, with all its borders intac...
Category

French Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Tapestry

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

British Indian Ocean Territory Medieval Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Fabric

American framed needle work sampler by Seraphina Learned, 1800's
Located in Kenilworth, IL
American sampler of silk floss on linen with a modest zig-zag border framing an uppercase letter alphabet, followed by a cursive alphabet, a lower case alphabet, and the numerals one...
Category

American Folk Art Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Linen, Silk

18th Century Needlework of a Bouquet of Lilies, Peonies, Tulips, and Wildflowers
Located in Richmond, London
This exquisite petit-point needlework picture showcases a beautifully arranged bouquet of lilies, peonies, cornflowers, tulips, and other delicate flowers. The intricate craftsmanshi...
Category

English Georgian Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton, Wood

Very large 1700's Aubusson Verdure Tapestry
Located in LYON, FR
Very large Aubusson Tapersty Circa 1720's. ‘Verdure’ (foliage) tapestries were woven throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries, featuring wooded landscapes, reflecting the interest in b...
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

18th Century French Aubusson Rustic Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A French Aubusson genre tapestry from the 18th century, featuring a rustic scene in which a youth plays his instrument for his damsel, who is reposing in the clearing of a forest. En...
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

18th Century Aubusson Verdure Tapestry
Located in Los Angeles, CA
18th Century European Hand-Woven Aubusson Verdure Tapestry depicting a woodland nature scene. Made in France circa 18th Century. Finely woven with cloth backing.
Category

French Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Tapestry, Wool

18th Century Flemish Verdure Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A Flemish verdure landscape tapestry panel from the 18th century, featuring a verdant scene with large trees and various foliage and including a lake. Enclosed within a stylized bord...
Category

European Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

Late 18th-Early 19th C. Venetian Tapestry
Located in San Francisco, CA
Late 18th- early 19th century framed silk embroidered tapestry in a stunning blend of intricate design and rich colors that will enhance any de...
Category

European Renaissance Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Flemish Verdure Garden Tapestry
Located in Essex, MA
Rectangular with leaf, flower and vase border, the scene depicting a man baking bread in an oven with a woman standing by a table and children frolicking with a castle in background ...
Category

French Baroque Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Other

Antique Darning Sampler, 1791, by Ann Manning
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Antique Darning Sampler, 1791, by Ann Manning. The sampler is worked in silk threads on a linen ground, in a variety of stitches. Comprises of 15 darning p...
Category

George III Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Bobyrug’s Beautiful Little 18th Century French Needlepoint Fragment Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice little French needlepoint tapestry with beautiful floral design and nice natural colors, entirely hand embroidered with needlepoint method with wool. ✨✨✨ "Experience the epitom...
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

French 18th Century Tapestry Fragment
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This vibrant tapestry fragment hails from 18th century France. Two panels have been recently attached with brilliant blue trimming. The fabric is worn but retains its vibrant floral ...
Category

French Other Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Fabric, Textile, Tapestry

18th Century French Handwoven Pastoral Verdure Aubusson Tapestry
Located in Dallas, TX
This large and elegant antique tapestry was crafted in Aubusson, France, circa 1760. The colorful wall piece features a country garden scene with goats, architectural elements and a ...
Category

French Louis XVI Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Tapestry

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

English Jacobean Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Linen, Silk

Georgian Embroidered Panel, circa 1780
Located in Basildon, GB
Georgian Embroidered Panel, circa 1780. Finely worked in coloured silks and depicting a vase with flowers, all of which were symbols of trust during...
Category

British Georgian Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Late 18th Century Flemish Rustic Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A Flemish rustic tapestry from the late 18th century, featuring a “Vegetable Market” scene in the manner of David Teniers II, with vendors selling various vegetables in the foregroun...
Category

European Rustic Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

18th Century French Felletin Verdure Landscape Tapestry, with Birds and Trees
Located in New York, NY
An antique 18th century French Felletin verdure landscape tapestry, size 8'10 H x 9'7 W. This handwoven antique wall hanging feat...
Category

French Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Incredible 17th- early 18th century Aubusson silk and wool tapestry 7’ x 9’ wide
Located in Charleston, SC
Incredible size and scale of this 17th-18th Century Aubusson tapestry city scape. Beautifully done with cranes, foilage, trees, river and town in the background. As picturesque as i...
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Huge early 1700's Verdure Aubusson Tapestry
Located in LYON, FR
French Aubusson woven tapestry from the early 1700's depicting a lizard standing in luscious vegetation. Created in Aubusson, located in central France. Interestingly this vertical w...
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Zabihi Collection Mid 18th Century French Tapestry of Charlemagne
Located in New York, NY
Beauvais, France. Depicts arrival at a castle, royal horse being heralded by trumpeter and escorted by two guards, continuous floral border and two minor borders. Linen and wool slit weave Beauvais technique with natural indigo, weld, walnut husk, tannin variegated, lichen and moss greens. Condition: Good. Original border intact, minor repair and protective reconstruction with back added as structural safeguard. Some areas with holes, some areas of repair to border. Measures: 8'7'' wide x 10'1'' long. Tapestries make integral part of the Flemish cultural heritage. Most of the tapestries have religious, mythological and historical subjects as well as hunting and harvest scenes. They are known for their high quality and extended use of colors. The oldest ones were made in the 13th century. The most important production centers were Doornik and Arras. These two centers got a lot of assignments of the Dukes of Burgundy. In the 14th century tapestries...
Category

French French Provincial Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

18th Century French Aubusson Verdure Landscape Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A French Aubusson verdure landscape tapestry from the 18th century, with a crane at the center of the idyllic landscape scene, sitt...
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

Flemish 17th-18th Century Baroque Historical Tapestry Fragment "A Royal Family"
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine and large Flemish 17th-18th century Baroque figural historical tapestry fragment. The large tapestry depicting an allegorical Royal family scene of a warrior meeting his new b...
Category

Belgian Baroque Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century Silk Brocade Altar Frontals PAIR
Located in Canterbury, GB
A pair of antique Altar Frontals Dating from 18th Century Gold silk ground brocaded with a Crown above Eight Point Stars , Cross, and stylized Pomegranates Lined in crimson silk ...
Category

Spanish Baroque Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Flemish Tapestry 18th - The Swiss Guard, Pastoral Passage of the Pope - N° 1483
Located in Paris, FR
18th Century Flanders Tapestry - The Swiss Guard, Pastoral Passage of the Pope - No. 1483 Period: 18th century Condition: Perfect condition Material: Wool & silk Width: 275 cm Height...
Category

French French Provincial Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

French Aubusson Greenery Tapestry 18th century - 165Lx215H cm - N° 1537
Located in Paris, FR
Period: 18th century Style: Greenery Condition: Perfect condition Material: Wool and silk Width: 165 cm Height: 215 cm Depth: 1 cm. In keeping with tradition, this magnificent tapes...
Category

French French Provincial Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

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

French Baroque Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk, Wool

Antique Flemish Pastoral Tapestry, circa 1740, 8'6 x 13'2
Located in New York, NY
Flemish pastoral tapestry, mid-18th century, circa 1740. Two rustic milkmaids frame a gesticulating, fallen youth in a summery, vigorously rendered verdant landscape. Stylized trees ...
Category

Dutch Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

Large Flemish 17th-18th Century Baroque Figural Tapestry "A Royal Courtship"
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine and large flemish 17th-18th century Baroque figural tapestry "A Royal Courtship" depicting an allegorical courting scene of a young princess meeting her prince at the watchful eye of a mesmerized queen standing behind her. A young girl supports the princess' dress train...
Category

Belgian Baroque Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

18th Century Aubusson Tapestry Design after Claude-Joseph Vernet
Located in New York, NY
18th Century Aubusson Tapestry Design after Claude-Joseph Vernet Wool and Silk 72 x 108 in, 183 x 274 cm Great Condition
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century French Felletin Chinoiserie Mythological Tapestry w/ Trees & Satyrs
Located in New York, NY
An 18th century French Felletin chinoiserie mythological tapestry, size 11'6"H x 17'9"W. This grand mythological tapestry depicts a mythological forest scene, with various satyrs and other mythological figures reveling in Dionysian fashion in the confines of the woodland setting. Finely detailed, with nimble articulation of figures and form, the piece also incorporates chinoiserie motifs, with stylized trees and bushes that have Oriental styling. The lower right corner of the primary field features both the town mark and weaver's mark, as well as the French symbol of the fleur de lis. The tapestry is enclosed within an elaborate outer border, featuring pendant...
Category

French Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century French Aubusson Chinoiserie Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A French Aubusson chinoiserie verdure tapestry, 18th century. A small bird to the left, an acanthus bush in the center, and pagodas in the left distance, within a symmetrical scrolli...
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

18th Century Lille Tapestry In Wool And Silk After Teniers From The G. Wernier W
Located in Brussels, Brussels
superb and rare wool and silk tapestry from the beginning of the 18th century after a painting by Teniers Very beautiful tapestry representing a village scene with dancers, pipe smo...
Category

French Louis XV Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

American Needlework Sampler by Eliza Jordan, Aged 12, Late 18th Century
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique American needlework sampler by Eliza Jordan, aged 12, late 18th century, a very fine and fanciful pictorial needlework sampler on l...
Category

American Folk Art Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Linen

Embroidered Holy Spirit Panel
Located in New York, NY
Embroidered Holy Spirit panel. Antique embroidered doubled sided panel in paper with original antique seeded glass and gilt carved frame, Italy, l...
Category

Italian Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk

18th Century Antique Tapestry Flemish Wool & Silk Handwoven Square Verdure
Located in New York, NY
Rare Mid-1800s Antique Flemish Tapestry Fine Wool & Silk Green/Blue 5'2' x 5'3" 158cm x 160cm Circa 1790 "This is a very fine Authentic Antique Flemish Tapestry in Wool & Silk ...
Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Rare Qing Dynasty K'o-Ssu "Cut Silk" Military Rank Badge with Bear
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rare Qing Dynasty k'o-ssu ("cut silk") military rank badge with bear, late 18th or early 19th century. The Chinese tradition of wearing rank badges (buzi), also known as Mandarin squares...
Category

Chinese Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk

18th Century Flemish Verdure Landscape Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A Flemish verdure tapestry from the 18th century, depicting two exotic birds within a profuse landscape, with acanthus plants in the foreground, bloomin...
Category

European Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

18th Century, 1732 Petit Point Embroidery Picture of Lady & Gent
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
An 18th Century petit point silkwork embroidery of a lady and gentleman stood in a country cottage garden. Sheep and a dog in the foreground. A house with a fence in the background. ...
Category

Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Silk

Venus Visiting Vulcan, Achilles Brussels Tapestry Atelier Van Der Borcht - 1455
Located in Paris, FR
Venus Visiting Vulcan, Achilles - Brussels Tapestry, Atelier Van Der Borcht No. 1455 Artist: In the Taste of Jan Van Orley (1488 – 1541) Period: 18th century Style: mythological Cond...
Category

French Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

18th Century French Aubusson Rustic Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
A French Aubusson rustic tapestry from the 18th century, envisioning a wooded landscape in which several youngsters play leapfrog. Enclosed within a scrolling border of fruiting and ...
Category

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool

Antique 18th Century Brussels Mythological Tapestry, with Diana the Huntress
Located in New York, NY
An 18th century Brussels mythological hunting tapestry, size 9' H x 8' W, depicting the Roman goddess of the hunt, Diana, reposing in a forest setting with her attendants, with one h...
Category

Belgian Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

French Greenery Tapestry Aubusson 18th century - 2m67Hx1m97L - N° 1386
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

French Aubusson Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Silk

Antique 18th Square Century Flemish Verdure Green Landscape Tapestry with Birds
Located in New York, NY
This is a gorgeous antique square 18th century flemish verdure landscape tapestry with birds depicting a beautiful and rich summer scene of a countryside with lush trees and vegetati...
Category

Dutch Baroque Antique 18th Century Tapestries

Materials

Tapestry, Wool

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