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Lot Essay
This tapestry is viturally identical, both in the design and size, to one that formed part of the series of The Story of Diana that belonged to cardinal Richelieu and which was recorded in his inventory in 1642. The series was one of the five most expensive items in the inventory of the Palais with a total of 1364 items listed, including all the silver, jewelry and paintings. Ultimately the set of tapestries was bequeathed to Louis XIII and it is then recorded in the Royal inventories in 1663 along with two other sets, both bearing the Royal coat-of-arms. The Richelieu set had a plain blue field in its place as on the Wildenstein example. Richelieu's tapestries were recorded in 1789 in the appartements of the duc and duchesse d'Orléans. Recently the Richelieu set was identified as being that in the mobilier national by Piero Boccardo ('Découvertes à propos de l'Histoire de Diane de Tuissant Dubreuil', La tapisserie au XVIIe siècle et les collections européennes, Paris, 1999, pp. 53 - 54). The Wildenstein tapestry therefore forms part of a commission that has not yet been identified.
HISTORY OF THE SERIES
The Story of Diana was one of the most successful tapestry series designed by the Parisian workshop in the faubourg Saint-Marcel in the early 17th century. Over twenty different sets have been identified, including three made for the French crown and one each for the Spanish ambassador, Cardinal Barberini and Cardinal Richelieu.
The design for The Death of Orion is attributed to Toussaint Dubreuil (1561 - 1602). Dubreuil was appointed peintre ordinaire of Henri III and was charged with the decoration of the Pavillon des Posies at the château de Fontainebleau and the Galerie d'Apollon at the Louvre. It is probable that he drew the designs for the eight tapestries between 1597 and 1600, but it is not entirely clear when the first set was woven. It is only sure that this first set was completed before 1606 as Cardinal Maffeo Barberini visited Fontainebleau at that date to choose a series of tapestries for Cardinal Montalto and he found this series particularly appealing and appropriate. One set of these tapestries, with the original cartoons, is mentioned in 1627 in the inventory drawn up on the death of the weaver François de la Planche. Two further panels were later added to extend the series to ten tapestries. The first border design by Dubreuil was probably only used on two sets. Laurent Guyot (d. after 1644) became peintre ordinaire to the King in 1608 and supplied numerous tapestry designs to the Paris workshops. He was particularly known for this floral swags and rinceaux. The weaving of The Story of Diana tapestries to these cartoons only ceased in the mid-1630s when Simon Vouet introduced a new style of imagery to the weaver's ateliers of Paris.
WEAVER AND DATE
The ateliers in the faubourg Saint-Marcel were established when Marc and Jérôme de Comans and François de la Planche formed an association in 1601 but François de la Planche and Marc Comans only received the Royal-decree in the 1607. Upon the death of de la Planche in 1627 and the retirement of Marc Comans in 1628, their sons took over the workshop. The association only lasted until 1633 when Raphaël de la Planche moved his own atelier in the faubourg Saint-Germain. Their workshops actually consisted of a number of smaller localities, all under the supervision of different Flemish weavers. The monogram 'HT' appears to be that of Hans Taye, who was chief of the boutique d'or in the faubourg Saint-Marcel in the mid-1620s.
COMPARABLE EXAMPLES
Apart from the Richelieu set that survives virtually complete in the Mobilier National (J. Coural 'Chefs-d'oeuvre de la tapisserie Parisienne 1597 - 1662', Exhibition Catalogue, Paris, 1967, pp. 44 - 55), a set of eight panels including this subject and with identical borders and also woven by Taye, all approximately the same height as the offered lot, is in the Kusthistorisches Museum, Vienna (L. Baldass, Die Wiener Gobelinssammlung, Vienna, vol. II, cats. 161 - 168). A set of eight tapestries by Filip de Maecht (the head of the boutique d'or prior to Taye), the earliest surviving suite, is in the Spanish Royal Collection (P. Junquera de Vega and C. Diaz Gallegos, Catalogo de Tapices del Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid, 1986, vol. II, pp. 6 - 14, this subject being p. 10), while another set of six tapestries is at the Palace of Holyroodhouse (M. Swain, Tapestries and Textiles at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, 1988, pp. 50 - 55, this subject being panel e). A tapestry depicting Diana and Apollo killing the children of Niobe with identical borders and of the same height as the offered lot is at the hôtel de Sully, Paris ('Lisses et délices, chefs-d'oeuvre de la tapisserie de Henri IV à Louis XIV', Exhibition Catalogue, Paris, 1996, p. 140). A set of five tapestries from this series, formerly the property of Archibald van Beuren, Gray Craig, Newport, was sold Christie's house sale, 23 - 24 July 1985, lot 227, and again anonymously at Christie's New York, 11 January 1994, lots 220 - 224, this subject being 224. A further set of six tapestries with the arms of the Pallavicini Family, from the property of The Pierpont Morgan Library, was sold at Christie's London, 6 July 1961, lot 53.
SUBJECT
Apollo believed his sister Diana was in love with Orion, a hunter of gigantic stature. While Diana was hunting on the island of Delos, Apollo saw him swimming and challenged her to hit the dark object in the water with her arrow. Orion died and his image turned into a constellation.
HISTORY OF THE SERIES
The Story of Diana was one of the most successful tapestry series designed by the Parisian workshop in the faubourg Saint-Marcel in the early 17th century. Over twenty different sets have been identified, including three made for the French crown and one each for the Spanish ambassador, Cardinal Barberini and Cardinal Richelieu.
The design for The Death of Orion is attributed to Toussaint Dubreuil (1561 - 1602). Dubreuil was appointed peintre ordinaire of Henri III and was charged with the decoration of the Pavillon des Posies at the château de Fontainebleau and the Galerie d'Apollon at the Louvre. It is probable that he drew the designs for the eight tapestries between 1597 and 1600, but it is not entirely clear when the first set was woven. It is only sure that this first set was completed before 1606 as Cardinal Maffeo Barberini visited Fontainebleau at that date to choose a series of tapestries for Cardinal Montalto and he found this series particularly appealing and appropriate. One set of these tapestries, with the original cartoons, is mentioned in 1627 in the inventory drawn up on the death of the weaver François de la Planche. Two further panels were later added to extend the series to ten tapestries. The first border design by Dubreuil was probably only used on two sets. Laurent Guyot (d. after 1644) became peintre ordinaire to the King in 1608 and supplied numerous tapestry designs to the Paris workshops. He was particularly known for this floral swags and rinceaux. The weaving of The Story of Diana tapestries to these cartoons only ceased in the mid-1630s when Simon Vouet introduced a new style of imagery to the weaver's ateliers of Paris.
WEAVER AND DATE
The ateliers in the faubourg Saint-Marcel were established when Marc and Jérôme de Comans and François de la Planche formed an association in 1601 but François de la Planche and Marc Comans only received the Royal-decree in the 1607. Upon the death of de la Planche in 1627 and the retirement of Marc Comans in 1628, their sons took over the workshop. The association only lasted until 1633 when Raphaël de la Planche moved his own atelier in the faubourg Saint-Germain. Their workshops actually consisted of a number of smaller localities, all under the supervision of different Flemish weavers. The monogram 'HT' appears to be that of Hans Taye, who was chief of the boutique d'or in the faubourg Saint-Marcel in the mid-1620s.
COMPARABLE EXAMPLES
Apart from the Richelieu set that survives virtually complete in the Mobilier National (J. Coural 'Chefs-d'oeuvre de la tapisserie Parisienne 1597 - 1662', Exhibition Catalogue, Paris, 1967, pp. 44 - 55), a set of eight panels including this subject and with identical borders and also woven by Taye, all approximately the same height as the offered lot, is in the Kusthistorisches Museum, Vienna (L. Baldass, Die Wiener Gobelinssammlung, Vienna, vol. II, cats. 161 - 168). A set of eight tapestries by Filip de Maecht (the head of the boutique d'or prior to Taye), the earliest surviving suite, is in the Spanish Royal Collection (P. Junquera de Vega and C. Diaz Gallegos, Catalogo de Tapices del Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid, 1986, vol. II, pp. 6 - 14, this subject being p. 10), while another set of six tapestries is at the Palace of Holyroodhouse (M. Swain, Tapestries and Textiles at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, 1988, pp. 50 - 55, this subject being panel e). A tapestry depicting Diana and Apollo killing the children of Niobe with identical borders and of the same height as the offered lot is at the hôtel de Sully, Paris ('Lisses et délices, chefs-d'oeuvre de la tapisserie de Henri IV à Louis XIV', Exhibition Catalogue, Paris, 1996, p. 140). A set of five tapestries from this series, formerly the property of Archibald van Beuren, Gray Craig, Newport, was sold Christie's house sale, 23 - 24 July 1985, lot 227, and again anonymously at Christie's New York, 11 January 1994, lots 220 - 224, this subject being 224. A further set of six tapestries with the arms of the Pallavicini Family, from the property of The Pierpont Morgan Library, was sold at Christie's London, 6 July 1961, lot 53.
SUBJECT
Apollo believed his sister Diana was in love with Orion, a hunter of gigantic stature. While Diana was hunting on the island of Delos, Apollo saw him swimming and challenged her to hit the dark object in the water with her arrow. Orion died and his image turned into a constellation.