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Lot Essay
PRINCE ANATOLE DEMIDOFF
THIS TAPESTRY FORMED PART OF THE FAMED COLLECTION OF PRINCE ANATOLE DEMIDOFF (1812-1870). ANATOLE WAS BORN INTO AN IMMENSLY WEALTHY MINING AND REFINERY FAMILY THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE URAL. HIS FATHER NICOLAS DEMIDOFF HAD, HOWEVER, ALREADY TAKEN RESIDENCE IN PARIS AT THE HôTEL MONTHOLON IN 1802 AND THE HôTEL DE MONTESSON IN 1811 AND LEFT RUSSIA PERMANENTLY IN 1815. UPON HIS WIFE'S DEATH IN 1818 HE COMMISSIONED HIS NEW RESIDENCE SAN DONATO IN FLORENCE AND FILLED IT FERVENTLY WITH FANTASTIC ART WORKS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET AT THE TIME. UPON THE DEATH OF NICOLAS IN 1828, ANATOLE DIVIDED HIS LIFE BETWEEN PARIS AND SAN DONATO. HIS PASSION FOR NAPOLEON BONAPARTE LED TO HIS MARRIAGE WITH PRINCESS MATHILDE, DAUGHTER OF NAPOLEON'S BROTHER JEROME, IN 1840. HIS ENORMOUS ART COLLECTION AT SAN DONATO WAS SOLD IN PARIS IN 1863 AND 1870 AND IN FLORENCE IN 1880.
SERIES AND SUBJECT
THIS TAPESTRY BELONGS TO A SERIES OF EIGHT PANELS DEPICTING THE JUDAIC WARS (66-70 AD) DURING THE REIGNS OF VESPASIAN (69-70 AD) AND HIS SON TITUS (79-81 AD). THE SERIES APPEARS TO BE BASED ON THE ACCOUNTS OF FLAVIUS JOSEPH (37-100 AD), A JEWISH HISTORIAN WHO FOUGHT IN THE WARS AGAINST ROME AND BECAME A PRISONER. THIS PARTICULAR PANEL DEPICTS TITUS INTERVENING ON BEHALF OF THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM. DURING THE SIEGE OF THE CITY IN 70 AD ITS INHABITANTS SURRENDERED TO THE OCCUPYING FORCES OF THE ROMANS AND SYRIANS AND HANDED OVER THEIR GOLD TREASURES TO ENSURE THEIR SURVIVAL. THE SOLDIERS, HOWEVER, SET OUT TO MASSACRE THE CIVILIANS INSTEAD OF TAKING THEM PRISONERS. WHEN TITUS WAS INFORMED, HE INTERVENED AND THREATENED TO HAVE THE ATTACKING SOLDIERS KILLED. THE FACTS PRESENTED IN THIS TAPESTRY SERIES DO, HOWEVER, NOT APPEAR TO REFLECT HISTORY, WHICH PAINTS A MUCH MORE DESPERATE END FOR THE CITY.
ALTHOUGH NO DRAWINGS OR ENGRAVINGS FOR THE SERIES SURVIVE, IT IS BELIEVED THAT CHARLES POERSON (D. 1667) WAS ITS AUTHOR ON THE BASIS OF COMPARISON TO OTHER TAPESTRY DESIGNS BY HIM (THE STORY OF MOSES AND THE STORY OF CLEOPATRA). IT IS BELIEVED THAT HE PAINTED THE MODELLI FOR THE SERIES IN THE EARLY 1660S AS THERE IS MENTION OF A TITUS AND VESPASIAN SERIES IN BRUSSELS IN 1663. IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED BY A GROUP OF WEAVERS THROUGH THE AGENCY OF JEAN VALDOR, AN ENGRAVER AND ART DEALER.
WEAVERS AND COMPARABLE EXAMPLES
FOUR TAPESTRY WORKSHOPS ARE RECORDED HAVING WOVEN THE SERIES: THAT OF WILLIAM LEEFDAEL (ACTIVE UNTIL 1685), GERARD PEEMANS (ACTIVE UNTIL 1707), GERAERT VAN DER STREKEN (D. 1677) AND LASTLY EITHER JEAN (D. 1676) OR JEROME (D. 1719) LE CLERC. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE ALSO FOUR DIFFERING BORDERS AVAILABLE, ALTHOUGH IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE POSSIBLE TO ASSIGN SPECIFIC BORDERS SINGULARLY TO ONE WEAVER. UNFORTUNATELY NONE OF THE TAPESTRIES WITH THIS TYPE OF BORDER ARE SIGNED.
WHEN THE FAMED DEMIDOFF COLLECTION WAS SOLD IN 1880, THREE FURTHER TAPESTRIES FROM THE SAME SET WERE ALSO SOLD. IT IS PROBABLE THAT THE THREE TAPESTRIES WHICH ARE FROM THE SAME SERIES AND HAVE IDENTICAL BORDERS THAT ARE AT THE LOUVRE, PARIS, ARE ALSO FROM THE SAME SET, AS THEIR SUBJECTS ARE COMPLIMENTARY TO THOSE AT SAN DONATO.
A TAPESTRY OF IDENTICAL SUBJECT BUT WITH DIFFERING BORDERS AND ALSO CONTAINING METAL-THREAD BY GERARD PEEMANS, FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MARGRAVES AND GRAND DUKES OF BADEN, SCHLOSS KARLSRUHE, WAS SOLD SOTHEBY'S, HOUSE SALE, 5 - 21 OCTOBER 1995, LOT 1002, AND AGAIN ANONYMOUSLY CHRISTIE'S, NEW YORK, 30 OCTOBER 1996, LOT 326. ANOTHER VERSION IS AT THE HERMITAGE, SAINT PETERSBURG AND ONE AT THE ART INSTITUTE IN CHICAGO.
THIS TAPESTRY FORMED PART OF THE FAMED COLLECTION OF PRINCE ANATOLE DEMIDOFF (1812-1870). ANATOLE WAS BORN INTO AN IMMENSLY WEALTHY MINING AND REFINERY FAMILY THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE URAL. HIS FATHER NICOLAS DEMIDOFF HAD, HOWEVER, ALREADY TAKEN RESIDENCE IN PARIS AT THE HôTEL MONTHOLON IN 1802 AND THE HôTEL DE MONTESSON IN 1811 AND LEFT RUSSIA PERMANENTLY IN 1815. UPON HIS WIFE'S DEATH IN 1818 HE COMMISSIONED HIS NEW RESIDENCE SAN DONATO IN FLORENCE AND FILLED IT FERVENTLY WITH FANTASTIC ART WORKS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET AT THE TIME. UPON THE DEATH OF NICOLAS IN 1828, ANATOLE DIVIDED HIS LIFE BETWEEN PARIS AND SAN DONATO. HIS PASSION FOR NAPOLEON BONAPARTE LED TO HIS MARRIAGE WITH PRINCESS MATHILDE, DAUGHTER OF NAPOLEON'S BROTHER JEROME, IN 1840. HIS ENORMOUS ART COLLECTION AT SAN DONATO WAS SOLD IN PARIS IN 1863 AND 1870 AND IN FLORENCE IN 1880.
SERIES AND SUBJECT
THIS TAPESTRY BELONGS TO A SERIES OF EIGHT PANELS DEPICTING THE JUDAIC WARS (66-70 AD) DURING THE REIGNS OF VESPASIAN (69-70 AD) AND HIS SON TITUS (79-81 AD). THE SERIES APPEARS TO BE BASED ON THE ACCOUNTS OF FLAVIUS JOSEPH (37-100 AD), A JEWISH HISTORIAN WHO FOUGHT IN THE WARS AGAINST ROME AND BECAME A PRISONER. THIS PARTICULAR PANEL DEPICTS TITUS INTERVENING ON BEHALF OF THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM. DURING THE SIEGE OF THE CITY IN 70 AD ITS INHABITANTS SURRENDERED TO THE OCCUPYING FORCES OF THE ROMANS AND SYRIANS AND HANDED OVER THEIR GOLD TREASURES TO ENSURE THEIR SURVIVAL. THE SOLDIERS, HOWEVER, SET OUT TO MASSACRE THE CIVILIANS INSTEAD OF TAKING THEM PRISONERS. WHEN TITUS WAS INFORMED, HE INTERVENED AND THREATENED TO HAVE THE ATTACKING SOLDIERS KILLED. THE FACTS PRESENTED IN THIS TAPESTRY SERIES DO, HOWEVER, NOT APPEAR TO REFLECT HISTORY, WHICH PAINTS A MUCH MORE DESPERATE END FOR THE CITY.
ALTHOUGH NO DRAWINGS OR ENGRAVINGS FOR THE SERIES SURVIVE, IT IS BELIEVED THAT CHARLES POERSON (D. 1667) WAS ITS AUTHOR ON THE BASIS OF COMPARISON TO OTHER TAPESTRY DESIGNS BY HIM (THE STORY OF MOSES AND THE STORY OF CLEOPATRA). IT IS BELIEVED THAT HE PAINTED THE MODELLI FOR THE SERIES IN THE EARLY 1660S AS THERE IS MENTION OF A TITUS AND VESPASIAN SERIES IN BRUSSELS IN 1663. IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED BY A GROUP OF WEAVERS THROUGH THE AGENCY OF JEAN VALDOR, AN ENGRAVER AND ART DEALER.
WEAVERS AND COMPARABLE EXAMPLES
FOUR TAPESTRY WORKSHOPS ARE RECORDED HAVING WOVEN THE SERIES: THAT OF WILLIAM LEEFDAEL (ACTIVE UNTIL 1685), GERARD PEEMANS (ACTIVE UNTIL 1707), GERAERT VAN DER STREKEN (D. 1677) AND LASTLY EITHER JEAN (D. 1676) OR JEROME (D. 1719) LE CLERC. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE ALSO FOUR DIFFERING BORDERS AVAILABLE, ALTHOUGH IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE POSSIBLE TO ASSIGN SPECIFIC BORDERS SINGULARLY TO ONE WEAVER. UNFORTUNATELY NONE OF THE TAPESTRIES WITH THIS TYPE OF BORDER ARE SIGNED.
WHEN THE FAMED DEMIDOFF COLLECTION WAS SOLD IN 1880, THREE FURTHER TAPESTRIES FROM THE SAME SET WERE ALSO SOLD. IT IS PROBABLE THAT THE THREE TAPESTRIES WHICH ARE FROM THE SAME SERIES AND HAVE IDENTICAL BORDERS THAT ARE AT THE LOUVRE, PARIS, ARE ALSO FROM THE SAME SET, AS THEIR SUBJECTS ARE COMPLIMENTARY TO THOSE AT SAN DONATO.
A TAPESTRY OF IDENTICAL SUBJECT BUT WITH DIFFERING BORDERS AND ALSO CONTAINING METAL-THREAD BY GERARD PEEMANS, FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MARGRAVES AND GRAND DUKES OF BADEN, SCHLOSS KARLSRUHE, WAS SOLD SOTHEBY'S, HOUSE SALE, 5 - 21 OCTOBER 1995, LOT 1002, AND AGAIN ANONYMOUSLY CHRISTIE'S, NEW YORK, 30 OCTOBER 1996, LOT 326. ANOTHER VERSION IS AT THE HERMITAGE, SAINT PETERSBURG AND ONE AT THE ART INSTITUTE IN CHICAGO.