Lot Essay
A. Duran probably refers to Antoine Durand who is recorded in a document as having received a commission for a series of tapestries for the Assembly Hall at Dijon.
Several versions of this theme are known. Most were woven at Aubusson to the designs of Jean Pillement (d. 1808), appointed painter to Queen Marie-Antoinette, who published a group of prints from his paintings in 1767. Included in the 130 prints were several in the Chinoiserie taste. The pagoda in the middle is inspired by designs by Fischer von Erlach, Entwurff einer historischen Architektur, 1721, fig. 75. In this particular example, the hunting dog in the foreground is copied from either the 'Dog Pointing a Pheasant' in the Musée des Beaux-Arts or 'Blanche, Bitch of the Royal Pack pointing a Pheasant' at Compiègne, both of which were painted by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (d. 1755), head of the Beauvais tapestry manufactory after 1734. Blanche was one of the favourite hounds of Louis XV.
A closely related tapestry, although smaller and without a dog, was executed by Rougeron at Aubusson and is illustrated in D. and P. Chevalier and P.-F. Bertrand, Les Tapisseries d'Aubusson et de Felletin, Lausanne, 1988, p. 128. A further model with two large cranes in the foreground was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 21 February 1988, lot 640, while a further similar panel was sold at Sotheby's Monaco, 23 June 1991, lot 567.
Several versions of this theme are known. Most were woven at Aubusson to the designs of Jean Pillement (d. 1808), appointed painter to Queen Marie-Antoinette, who published a group of prints from his paintings in 1767. Included in the 130 prints were several in the Chinoiserie taste. The pagoda in the middle is inspired by designs by Fischer von Erlach, Entwurff einer historischen Architektur, 1721, fig. 75. In this particular example, the hunting dog in the foreground is copied from either the 'Dog Pointing a Pheasant' in the Musée des Beaux-Arts or 'Blanche, Bitch of the Royal Pack pointing a Pheasant' at Compiègne, both of which were painted by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (d. 1755), head of the Beauvais tapestry manufactory after 1734. Blanche was one of the favourite hounds of Louis XV.
A closely related tapestry, although smaller and without a dog, was executed by Rougeron at Aubusson and is illustrated in D. and P. Chevalier and P.-F. Bertrand, Les Tapisseries d'Aubusson et de Felletin, Lausanne, 1988, p. 128. A further model with two large cranes in the foreground was sold anonymously at Sotheby's Monaco, 21 February 1988, lot 640, while a further similar panel was sold at Sotheby's Monaco, 23 June 1991, lot 567.