The coat-of-arms are those of François-Armand-Auguste de Rohan (1718-1756), second son of Louis-François-Jules, prince de Soubise, capitaine-lieutenant des gendarmes de la garde, and his wife Anne-Julie-Adélaide de Melun. He became canon of Strasburg in 1730 and was named Abbé de Ventadour. In 1736 he became abbot of Saint-Empire at the Toul diocese and was named abbé-prince des abbayes de Mure and Lure reunited in 1737. He received membership to the Académie Française on December 30, 1741 and was named assistant to his great-uncle Armand-Gaston, Cardinal of Rohan, Bishop of Strasburg March 21, 1742 and was given the title Bishop of Ptloémaïde in partibus. On July 30, 1742 he was consecrated Bishop and was received by survivance grand chaplain of France January 2, 1745. On January 6, 1745, he was made prélat commandeur of the Order of Saint-Esprit and made Cardinal de Soubise April 10, 1745. Upon his great-uncle's death on July 19, 1749, François-Armand-Auguste de Rohan became titled to the principal diocese at Strasburg and received the abbaye de la Chaise-Dieu at the diocese of Clermont-Ferrand. He died June 28, 1756 at the Château de Saverne aged 38. (see E. Olivier, et all, Manuel de l'Amateur de Relieures armoirées françaises, 1931, pl. 2033).

The source for the offered lot is undoubtedly based on the series of eight tapestries depicting the Trials of Ulysees from The Odyssey woven at Gobelins after paintings executed by Simon Vouet circa 1635 to decorate the galleries at the Hôtel de Bullion (see M. Fenaille, Etat Général des Tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins, 1903, vol. I., pp. 329-334).

A dominant part of the work executed in Vouet's atelier was devoted to the production of tapestry cartoons. This aspect of Vouet's oeuvre is of great significance as it preeminates the source of his influence on later French decoration, most notably in the eighteenth century (see W. Crelly, The Painting of Simon Vouet, 1962, pp. 266-267).