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Lot Essay
This Portières tapestry belongs to a group of Portières that included the Renommés,Lion, Licome and the Char de Triomphe, all were probably designed by Charles Le Brun (d. 1690) while working for Nicolas Fouquet (d. 1680) and running his private tapestry workshop at Maincy. The early history of the weaving and the designs of this group is unclear. The tapestries were first woven at Maincy, which mainly supplied tapestries to the finance minister's château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. After the fall from power of Fouquet in September 1661, the workshop was moved to the hôtel des Gobelins under Jean-Baptiste Colbert (d. 1683). Louis XIV approved the weaving of the Portières while Colbert also had them woven for himself with his emblem of a snake in the central cartouche. The first weaving was woven at Maincy, the second commissioned between 1690 and 1691 consisted of 24 tapestries measuring 279 cm. by 238 cm. high. On 15 September 1693, Louis XIV commissioned a set of portières from the Royal Manufactory including twelve Fame Portières. They were started in October 1693 in the Souet and De La Fraye workshops.
These Portières were used year-round in the Royal parade rooms to cover doorways where they remained used throughout the 18th century. No less than sixty-three such heraldic tapestries still decorated Versailles in 1789; however, few survive today due to the use as door covers and the rich use of Royal emblems, which were destroyed during the Revolution and only twelve remained in the garde-meuble by 1900.
Known other 'fame' Portières include:
- A Portière with the arms of France and Navarre and mark of I. Le Souet formerly in the collection of the Vicomtesse Vigier, sold Palais Galliera, Paris, 2-3 June 1970, lot 158
- Two Portières from the duc de Vendôme's collection, sold Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 3 December 1931, lot 115 (ill.), both signed by Le Souet; one subsequently sold Christie's New York, 2 November 2000, lot 58 ($325,000)
- A 'Fame' Portière, with the arms of France and Navarre at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
- A 'Fame' Portière, with the arms of France and Navarre, circa 1690-92, sold anonymously at Palais Galliera, Paris 3 April 1969, lot 94 and now in the Musée National du Château de Versailles, inv. no. V4641. This is discussed in G. Van Der Kemp, 'Nouvelles Acquisition,' Revue du Louvre, Paris 1970 - 2nd trimester, p. 120
These Portières were used year-round in the Royal parade rooms to cover doorways where they remained used throughout the 18th century. No less than sixty-three such heraldic tapestries still decorated Versailles in 1789; however, few survive today due to the use as door covers and the rich use of Royal emblems, which were destroyed during the Revolution and only twelve remained in the garde-meuble by 1900.
Known other 'fame' Portières include:
- A Portière with the arms of France and Navarre and mark of I. Le Souet formerly in the collection of the Vicomtesse Vigier, sold Palais Galliera, Paris, 2-3 June 1970, lot 158
- Two Portières from the duc de Vendôme's collection, sold Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 3 December 1931, lot 115 (ill.), both signed by Le Souet; one subsequently sold Christie's New York, 2 November 2000, lot 58 ($325,000)
- A 'Fame' Portière, with the arms of France and Navarre at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
- A 'Fame' Portière, with the arms of France and Navarre, circa 1690-92, sold anonymously at Palais Galliera, Paris 3 April 1969, lot 94 and now in the Musée National du Château de Versailles, inv. no. V4641. This is discussed in G. Van Der Kemp, 'Nouvelles Acquisition,' Revue du Louvre, Paris 1970 - 2nd trimester, p. 120