Lot Essay
This set of entre fenêtres belongs to the series of tapestries woven at Beauvais now known as the Bérain Grotesques, designed by Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer, influenced by the designs of Jean Bérain. This series, conceived under the directorship of Philippe Behagle, is thought to have been first woven prior to 1689 and was evidently very popular as it was still being repeated as late as 1725. Although a number of variants exist, it appears that a set ordinarily comprised three horizontal tapestries now known as The Animal Tamers, The Camel and The Elephant, and three vertical tapestries now known as The Offering to Bacchus, The Musicians and The Offering to Pan. A complete set, but with an associated Offering to Pan, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (see: E. Standen, European Post-Medieval Tapestries and Related Hangings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985, vol. II, pp. 441-458).
The entre fenêtres appear to have been based on The Offering to Pan as in the Metropolitan Museum Catalogue, no.64F, and use the central section of that composition but without the figures. The shared features include the flight of steps surmounted by spheres, tied-back drapery hung from the baldacchino, the eagle holding an olive branch and the bats' wing motif. The Metropolitan Museum example is signed P. BE indicating that it was made either under Behagle's directorship (1684-1705) or that of his widow and son (1705-1711).
Edith Standen notes that no other tapestries have been identified as coming from the same set as the Metropolitan Museum's Offering to Pan. However, she notes an entre fenêtre in the Hermitage, Leningrad which shows the right-hand side only of the Pan tapestry. She also mentions four narrow tapestries based on the central part of this tapestry and which were in a private collection in France in 1946. They incorporated the arms of the Séwozan family below the baldacchino, presumably in the same manner as the tapestries in this lot.
Other tapestries from this series have been sold in these Rooms at various times; a set of six panels originally in the collection of the Earls of Bantry was sold in these Rooms, 22 November 1956,
The entre fenêtres appear to have been based on The Offering to Pan as in the Metropolitan Museum Catalogue, no.64F, and use the central section of that composition but without the figures. The shared features include the flight of steps surmounted by spheres, tied-back drapery hung from the baldacchino, the eagle holding an olive branch and the bats' wing motif. The Metropolitan Museum example is signed P. BE indicating that it was made either under Behagle's directorship (1684-1705) or that of his widow and son (1705-1711).
Edith Standen notes that no other tapestries have been identified as coming from the same set as the Metropolitan Museum's Offering to Pan. However, she notes an entre fenêtre in the Hermitage, Leningrad which shows the right-hand side only of the Pan tapestry. She also mentions four narrow tapestries based on the central part of this tapestry and which were in a private collection in France in 1946. They incorporated the arms of the Séwozan family below the baldacchino, presumably in the same manner as the tapestries in this lot.
Other tapestries from this series have been sold in these Rooms at various times; a set of six panels originally in the collection of the Earls of Bantry was sold in these Rooms, 22 November 1956,