BEAUVAIS, THIRD QUARTER 17TH CENTURY, WOVEN UNDER DIRECTORSHIP OF LOUIS HINART

Details

A FRENCH LOUIS XIV MYTHOLOGICAL TAPESTRY FROM THE STORY OF PSYCHE
BEAUVAIS, THIRD QUARTER 17TH CENTURY, WOVEN UNDER DIRECTORSHIP OF LOUIS HINART
Woven in wools and silks, depicting a coastal scene with Charon in his boat and Charon on shore beckoning to Persephone, the stiff-leaf edged border decorated with scrolling foliage, fruited garlands, vases and birds and inscribed to the lower centre 'Charte de France', centred to the top with a zodiac ring, extensive areas of patching and reweaving, with restored horizontal cuts to the upper end of the field, possibly with late 18th/early 19th Century extension of 2 ft. (60 cm.) at the top, lacking outer slip, with later blue guard border to top and bottom
13 ft. 4 in. x 10 ft. 8 in. (404 cm. x 324 cm.)

Special notice

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Lot Essay

IDENTIFICATION
This extremely rare tapestry is part of one of the first commissions executed by the Beauvais tapestry manufactory in the third quarter 17th Century. The series to which this tapestry belongs was only relatively recently identified as a Beauvais suite by B. Jestaz ('The Beauvais Manufactory in 1690', Acts of the Tapestry Symposium, San Francisco, 1979, pp. 190 - 195). The attribution to Beauvais was made possible through the inscription à la carte de France to the canopied motif to the lower border. A royal inventory of 1673 specifies that a Beauvais Les Jeux d'Enfants tapestry series has an identically inscribed border, therefore ensuring that this tapestry originates from the same workshop given the idiosyncratic nature of such inscription.

A tapestry from this series depicting Homage rendered by the Crowd to Psyche's Beauty was sold at Sotheby's, London, 30 October 1964, lot 95.

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