Lot Essay
This series is based on Torquato Tasso's (1544-1595) Jerusalem Delivered of 1581. The epic poem relays the various crusades undertaken by the Christians against the Muslims to regain the grave of Christ. Tancred, a Christian knight, loved the Amazonian Clorinda, who fought for the opposing Saracenes. In battle, not knowing who she was, he wounds her fatally but recognises her at that moment. Clorinda, before dying, craving a Christian baptism after hearing that morning she was the daughter of the King of Ethopia and born a Christian, has Tancred fetch her water in his helmet.
This particular scene depicts Sophronia and Olinda on a stake which is about to be lit. Aladin, King of Jerusalem, knowing of the advances of the Christians lead by Godefro of Bouillon, orders the massacre of the Christians in the city. Sophronia, in an attempt to dispel the King's anger, denouces herself as having stolen a Christian image and is condemned to die in flames. Olinda, who secretly loves her, joins her on the stake. Clorinda suddenly reappears from her journey to Persia and discovers that the two are innocent. She stops the men about to set fire to the spire and intervenes with the King.
The designs for this series are attributed to Michelle I Corneille (1603-1664), also designer of the series Apollo and Daphne and are believed to have been drawn between 1645 and 1650. Corneille based his design on a painting by his friend François Perrier (d.1649) possibly painted circa 1640. His authorship is confirmed by the reference to two designs from the series in the inventory taken after his death. A friend of Eustache Le Sueur and raised by Simon Vouet, he was a co-founder of the Académie Royale de Peinture in 1648. His name appears before 1673 in the inventory of the Crown as having submitted designs for the tapestry series of the Jeux d'enfants and Ancien et Nouveau Testament.
The series originally consisted of eight panels (Tancred meets Clorinda, Clorinda frees Olinda and Sophronia, Tancred gives Herminia her liberty, Herminia returns to her Countrymen, Tancred baptising Clorinda, Herminia succours Tancred and Tancred orders the Tombstone for Clorinda), although Fenaille only lists seven (M. Fenaille, Etat Général des Tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins, Paris, 1923, vol. 1600-1900, pp. 359-362). Upon the death of Raphaël de la Planche in 1661, at least 20 pieces from this series, as well as the eight cartoons are mentioned in the inventory taken of his workshop, the Atelier du Faubourg Saint-Germain, which was founded in 1633. The series must therefore also have been woven in the years prior to that with the help of his son Sébastien-François, and it appears that there were deliveries of this set as late as 1692, long after the Royal Gobelins Tapestry Manufacture was founded by Colbert in 1662.
There are a total of six variations to the border designs known. The only time this type of border is recorded is in the inventory of the Mobilier de la Couronne in 1663 and 1697 under no. 162:
CLORINTE ET TANCRÈDE. - Une tenture de tapisserie de laine et soye, fabrique de Paris, manufacture de La Planche, représentant 'l'Histoire de Clorinte et Tancrède', dans une border toutte de fleurs, entourée et liée de distance en distance de ruban bleu sur un fonds aurore, et dans les coins un gros fleuron de mesme couleur; contenant 19 aunes 1/2 de cours, sur 2 aunes 3/4 de hault, en six pièces.
A further tapestry, illustrating Herminia succours Tancred, with identical border and therefore almost certainly part of this series, was sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 19 May 1988, lot 246, while a tapestry depicting Tancred meets Clorinda with putti to the borders was sold anonymoulsy in these Rooms 2 May 1997, lot 249.
The sizes mentioned correspond to this tapestry and it is therefore almost certain that this tapestry formed part of the set that was supplied to Louis XIV (M. Fenaille, Etat Général des Tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins, Paris, 1923, p. 361).
This particular scene depicts Sophronia and Olinda on a stake which is about to be lit. Aladin, King of Jerusalem, knowing of the advances of the Christians lead by Godefro of Bouillon, orders the massacre of the Christians in the city. Sophronia, in an attempt to dispel the King's anger, denouces herself as having stolen a Christian image and is condemned to die in flames. Olinda, who secretly loves her, joins her on the stake. Clorinda suddenly reappears from her journey to Persia and discovers that the two are innocent. She stops the men about to set fire to the spire and intervenes with the King.
The designs for this series are attributed to Michelle I Corneille (1603-1664), also designer of the series Apollo and Daphne and are believed to have been drawn between 1645 and 1650. Corneille based his design on a painting by his friend François Perrier (d.1649) possibly painted circa 1640. His authorship is confirmed by the reference to two designs from the series in the inventory taken after his death. A friend of Eustache Le Sueur and raised by Simon Vouet, he was a co-founder of the Académie Royale de Peinture in 1648. His name appears before 1673 in the inventory of the Crown as having submitted designs for the tapestry series of the Jeux d'enfants and Ancien et Nouveau Testament.
The series originally consisted of eight panels (Tancred meets Clorinda, Clorinda frees Olinda and Sophronia, Tancred gives Herminia her liberty, Herminia returns to her Countrymen, Tancred baptising Clorinda, Herminia succours Tancred and Tancred orders the Tombstone for Clorinda), although Fenaille only lists seven (M. Fenaille, Etat Général des Tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins, Paris, 1923, vol. 1600-1900, pp. 359-362). Upon the death of Raphaël de la Planche in 1661, at least 20 pieces from this series, as well as the eight cartoons are mentioned in the inventory taken of his workshop, the Atelier du Faubourg Saint-Germain, which was founded in 1633. The series must therefore also have been woven in the years prior to that with the help of his son Sébastien-François, and it appears that there were deliveries of this set as late as 1692, long after the Royal Gobelins Tapestry Manufacture was founded by Colbert in 1662.
There are a total of six variations to the border designs known. The only time this type of border is recorded is in the inventory of the Mobilier de la Couronne in 1663 and 1697 under no. 162:
CLORINTE ET TANCRÈDE. - Une tenture de tapisserie de laine et soye, fabrique de Paris, manufacture de La Planche, représentant 'l'Histoire de Clorinte et Tancrède', dans une border toutte de fleurs, entourée et liée de distance en distance de ruban bleu sur un fonds aurore, et dans les coins un gros fleuron de mesme couleur; contenant 19 aunes 1/2 de cours, sur 2 aunes 3/4 de hault, en six pièces.
A further tapestry, illustrating Herminia succours Tancred, with identical border and therefore almost certainly part of this series, was sold anonymously at Christie's New York, 19 May 1988, lot 246, while a tapestry depicting Tancred meets Clorinda with putti to the borders was sold anonymoulsy in these Rooms 2 May 1997, lot 249.
The sizes mentioned correspond to this tapestry and it is therefore almost certain that this tapestry formed part of the set that was supplied to Louis XIV (M. Fenaille, Etat Général des Tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins, Paris, 1923, p. 361).