拍品專文
The Savonnerie carpet offered here represents the flourishing of the woven arts in 17th century France and the unabashed, bold and powerful reign of Louis XIV. When Louis XIV ascended the throne in 1661, it was decided with his chief minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, that a refurbishment of the Louvre was necessary to make a statement to the world manifesting the power of the King and the State. One aspect of this huge redecoration plan was furnishing the Galerie d'Apollon and the Galerie du Bord de l'eau, otherwise known as the Grande Galerie with carpets of a caliber not yet executed in France. Up until this time, the majority of French pile-woven carpets were of relatively small size with predictable designs produced either by the Dupont family on looms in the ateliers at the Louvre or by the Lourdet family who had established competitive workshops in a former soap factory at Chaillot. Initially, Colbert had investigated the possiblity of the carpets being woven abroad since the size of the carpets and the expediency with which they were needed were thought to be prohibitive on the existing looms. However, Simon Lourdet proposed that he could fulfill this order by building new, special looms on which a carpet could be woven lengthwise, whereby the looms were as wide as the length of the carpet, allowing more weavers to sit side by side working simultaneously, speeding the process, and not to mention promoting domestic industries (Sherrill, Sarah B., Carpets and Rugs of Europe and America, New York, 1996, p. 69). Dupont agreed that he could do the same, and the two worked together for the first time to accomplish this arduous task. The first carpets executed for the renovation were thirteen carpets for the Galerie d'Apollon and considered a trial run for the ninety three carpets needed to cover the Grand Galerie which at 1,460 feet x 32 feet was an intimidating project. After the last carpet for the Galerie d'Apollon was delivered in 1667, work began in both the Lourdet and the Dupont workshops.
Charles Lebrun, the first painter to the King, became responsible for the designs of these carpets in 1663 while working closely with Louis Le Vau, the architect in charge, to make sure that all the design elements in this refurbishment were complimentary and harmonious. The ninety three carpets share in common a black to dark brown background with lush and colorful scrolling foliage, acanthus leaves and rinceaux centering a panel which varies from piece to piece. At each end of the carpet are tableaux either representing an allegory or a landscape and sometimes these are in grisaille. Each carpet is framed by a unifying blue and gold egg and dart variant border where the darts are replaced by spiraled foliage. The main border is flanked by guilloche and leaf tip minor borders and overlaid with a royal fleur de lys in each corner. Various artists were responsible for more specific elements found in the carpets, such as the naturalistic flowers, animals and landscapes. However, the overridding theme was to glorify the King and exalt his power by reccurring symbols of the Sun, interlaced "L"s, fleur de lys, crowns, orbs, scepters, sunflowers and his patron God, Apollo. An apotheosis of Louis XIV was suggested by the allegories of virtue, auspicious traits, allusions to the Arts and Sciences and more importantly references to powerful mythological characters.
Of the ninety three carpets commissioned and planned for the Grande Galerie, all but one were executed. In addition to these, a number of others were made on the same looms using the Grande Galerie cartoons and were given as Diplomatic gifts to foreign Sovereigns. In 1670 the first carpet was delivered to the Louvre and the last in 1685, however, sadly, they were never installed in situ as Louis XIV lost interest in the restoration of the Louvre and moved his court to Versailles in 1678. Unfortunately, during the Revolution, the Royal Collection was dispersed and neglected, with many of the ninety three carpets cut down to fit less palatial spaces. For example, the lot offered here, is a composite of two end panels of the same carpet, combining two landscape tableaux flanked by exotic fire breathing canines.
Although there are records left of this magnificent project, it is difficult to ascertain which carpet this may have been a part of as records are incomplete and whole carpet designs are unknown. It is possible that it is a fragment from carpet no. 43 (No. 184 in the Royal Inventory), Hunting, listed in Pierre Verlet, Savonnerie: The James A. De Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, London, 1982, Appendix A, p. 485. Woven by Dupont in 1877, No. 43 was the 8th Carpet he produced. Carpet No. 43 was acquired by Bourdillon in the year V of the Revolution; bought back by the Directoire, a fragment of the carpet was sold in Paris in 1937. Regardless of its fragmentary state, it is a noble testament to the magnificence and grandeur of this remarkable group of early French carpets and the ruler who ordered them.
Charles Lebrun, the first painter to the King, became responsible for the designs of these carpets in 1663 while working closely with Louis Le Vau, the architect in charge, to make sure that all the design elements in this refurbishment were complimentary and harmonious. The ninety three carpets share in common a black to dark brown background with lush and colorful scrolling foliage, acanthus leaves and rinceaux centering a panel which varies from piece to piece. At each end of the carpet are tableaux either representing an allegory or a landscape and sometimes these are in grisaille. Each carpet is framed by a unifying blue and gold egg and dart variant border where the darts are replaced by spiraled foliage. The main border is flanked by guilloche and leaf tip minor borders and overlaid with a royal fleur de lys in each corner. Various artists were responsible for more specific elements found in the carpets, such as the naturalistic flowers, animals and landscapes. However, the overridding theme was to glorify the King and exalt his power by reccurring symbols of the Sun, interlaced "L"s, fleur de lys, crowns, orbs, scepters, sunflowers and his patron God, Apollo. An apotheosis of Louis XIV was suggested by the allegories of virtue, auspicious traits, allusions to the Arts and Sciences and more importantly references to powerful mythological characters.
Of the ninety three carpets commissioned and planned for the Grande Galerie, all but one were executed. In addition to these, a number of others were made on the same looms using the Grande Galerie cartoons and were given as Diplomatic gifts to foreign Sovereigns. In 1670 the first carpet was delivered to the Louvre and the last in 1685, however, sadly, they were never installed in situ as Louis XIV lost interest in the restoration of the Louvre and moved his court to Versailles in 1678. Unfortunately, during the Revolution, the Royal Collection was dispersed and neglected, with many of the ninety three carpets cut down to fit less palatial spaces. For example, the lot offered here, is a composite of two end panels of the same carpet, combining two landscape tableaux flanked by exotic fire breathing canines.
Although there are records left of this magnificent project, it is difficult to ascertain which carpet this may have been a part of as records are incomplete and whole carpet designs are unknown. It is possible that it is a fragment from carpet no. 43 (No. 184 in the Royal Inventory), Hunting, listed in Pierre Verlet, Savonnerie: The James A. De Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, London, 1982, Appendix A, p. 485. Woven by Dupont in 1877, No. 43 was the 8th Carpet he produced. Carpet No. 43 was acquired by Bourdillon in the year V of the Revolution; bought back by the Directoire, a fragment of the carpet was sold in Paris in 1937. Regardless of its fragmentary state, it is a noble testament to the magnificence and grandeur of this remarkable group of early French carpets and the ruler who ordered them.