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Lot Essay
Carpet production in France almost came to a complete halt during the turmoil of the French Revolution. The revolutionaries felt woven carpet, such as those woven at the Savonnerie, were luxury items afforded only to the nobility. Existing carpets, especially those commissioned by Louis XIV for the Grande Galerie, were used by the Directoire for themselves, after cutting out any royal emblems, and as repayment of debts incurred by the Revolution. However, Napoleon felt differently. The decree of 28 Florail XII (1803), allowed Napoleon to use the royal palaces, thereby creating an atmosphere where carpet workshops could flourish again recapturing the glory of earlier days.
The style of drawing and many of the motifs, such as the tight acanthus scrolls around rosettes and dense floral bouquets of the present carpet, recall the work of Jacques-Louis de la Hamayde de Saint-Ange-Desmaison, known simply as Saint-Ange (1780 - 1860). Saint-Ange was probably the most influential carpet designer during the late Empire and Restauration period. After studying with the French designers Percier and Fontaine he eventually became the main designer for the Mobilier Imperial designing not only carpets but even porcelain for Sèvres. The designs of Saint-Ange, among the era's most popular, were commonly emulated by other designers and manufacturers including Aubusson, Sallandrouze and Beauvais.
Please see E. Floret, Great Carpets of the World, Paris, 1996, p. 261, pl. 245, for a similar example.
The style of drawing and many of the motifs, such as the tight acanthus scrolls around rosettes and dense floral bouquets of the present carpet, recall the work of Jacques-Louis de la Hamayde de Saint-Ange-Desmaison, known simply as Saint-Ange (1780 - 1860). Saint-Ange was probably the most influential carpet designer during the late Empire and Restauration period. After studying with the French designers Percier and Fontaine he eventually became the main designer for the Mobilier Imperial designing not only carpets but even porcelain for Sèvres. The designs of Saint-Ange, among the era's most popular, were commonly emulated by other designers and manufacturers including Aubusson, Sallandrouze and Beauvais.
Please see E. Floret, Great Carpets of the World, Paris, 1996, p. 261, pl. 245, for a similar example.