Silk Furniture
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Material: Silk
Very fine Persian Isfahan Silk
Wool Rug - 5
x 8
Located in Newmanstown, PA
Very fine Persian Rug Isfahan 600 Knots per inch, Size 5 x 8 Iran Isfahan Enteshari Wool and Silk with a Silk Foundation. Around 3,000,000 knots tied by hand one by one. It takes 2 y...
Category
Early 2000s Persian Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
Tiger Caramel Accent Accessory Animal Print Handmade Silk Rug by Joseph Carini
Located in New York, NY
A Carini Classic, this Tiger Caramel is the perfect accent rug for your space! Designed by Joseph Carini, this has been a mainstay in his collection for over 20 years. Shown here in ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Laszlo Pesci Post-Cubist Silk Blend Tapestry
Located in Astoria, NY
Laszlo Pesci (Hungarian, XX) Post-Cubist Figural Silk Blend Tapestry. 2' 6" L x 5' 8" W. Provenance: From a New York City Area Collection.
Category
20th Century Hungarian Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Rare Italian Vintage Salvatore Ferragamo Silk Scarf Pillow Large Pink Black Gold
Located in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Katie Larmour Studio is the original vintage scarf pillow maker. Gaining notability for her unique idea and creations back in 2013 - featured in the likes of the Financial Times, and first selling here on 1stdibs in 2016 - our creations are of the absolute top most quality, craftsmanship and finesse. Thank-you for looking.
Title:
Rare Italian Vintage Salvatore Ferragamo Silk Scarf with Irish Linen Cushion Pillow Pink Gold Black
Description:
Large custom-made one-of-a-kind cushion (pillow) created from a stunning rare vintage, circa 1970s silk Salvatore Ferragamo fashion scarf...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Art Deco Silk Furniture
Materials
Linen, Silk
Pendant Light Chandelier, Brass Glass White Pleated Silk Shades, 1960
Located in Hausmannstätten, AT
A fantastic six-arm pendant chandelier made of brass and white pleated silk shades, manufactured in Austria c.a 1960 (late 1950s or early 1960s).
The organically curved arms are deco...
Category
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Silk Furniture
Materials
Brass
Sheep Pillow by Studio Ahead
By Studio Ahead
Located in San Francisco, CA
Sheep Pillow designed by Studio Ahead in a collaboration with JG SWITZER.
Textured like stones smoothed by water the felted wool fabric is a mix of loca...
Category
2010s American Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Felt, Silk
$485 / item
Japanese Contemporary Brocade Silk Handcrafted Framed Oshie Decorative Art
Located in Takarazuka, JP
Exquisite Japanese contemporary framed oshie wall decorative art piece, recreating a famous painting from Meiji period featuring a Japanese dancer holding a net with cherry blossom ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Meiji Silk Furniture
Materials
Brocade, Silk
Elegant Painted Wood French Louis XV Style Loveseat with Silk Upholstery
Located in Hopewell, NJ
An elegant French Louis XV painted carved sofa settee from a salon set also having two armchairs but listed separately here, upholstered in a neutral pale yellow silk blend, found i...
Category
1930s French Louis XV Vintage Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk, Wood
20"x20" 100% Silk Embroidered Cushion Cover. New Toss Pillow. Modern Lace Pillow
Located in Spring Valley, NY
New Hand-Embroidered 100% Silk Cushion Cover – Authentic Uzbek Textile Art
Elevate your home décor with this exquisite hand-embroidered Suzani cushion cover, crafted from 100% pure ...
Category
2010s Uzbek Suzani Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Wall lamp model V 271, Hans-Agne Jakobsson, Sweden, 1960s
Located in Eskilstuna, SE
Wall-mounted lamp designed by Hans-Agne Jakobsson for Hans-Agne Jakobsson AB, Markaryd. Executed in brass with a circular shade dressed in silk fringe. The perforated top softly filt...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Brass
19th c Ottoman Pillow Cushion Gold Metallic Thread Silk Embroidery Islamic Art
Located in Wommelgem, VAN
Large 19th century Ottoman Cushion pillow
Finest quality Ottoman cushion opulent hand crafted silk and metal thread embroidery.
Finished with 4 silver color tassels
Cushion with a ri...
Category
19th Century Turkish Islamic Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Metallic Thread
$1,007 Sale Price
63% Off
Royal Ozipek silk carpet/tapestry Hereke signed, 20th Century. blue
Located in Berlin, DE
Royal Ozipek silk carpet/tapestry Hereke signed, 20th Century
This hand-knotted Hereke rug is a magnificent addition to your living space. Once intended for imperial palaces, the de...
Category
20th Century Turkish Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Red Braun Circles Table Lamp with New Custom Made Silk Lampshade, Germany, 1970
By OTHR
Located in Rijssen, NL
Exceptional typical large ceramic bubble table/floor lamp, Germany, 1970s. A sculptural high-end piece made of handmade ceramic in rich glazed red and braun tones. With a new custom ...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Ceramic, Silk
2
8"x8
3" Khaki Brown Modern Grass Design Hand Knotted Wool and Silk Runner Rug
Located in Carlstadt, NJ
Khaki Brown, Modern Grass Design, Hand Knotted, Denser Weave, Wool and Silk, Lush and Plush, Runner, Oriental Rug
Primary materials: Wool
Silk
Latex: No Pile
height: 0.25 Inch...
Category
2010s Indian Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
$761 Sale Price
20% Off
Hermes Pillow Clic Clac Quadrille
By Hermès
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Introducing the exquisite limited edition Hermes Fabric Clic Clic Quadrille, a truly exceptional piece that encapsulates the essence of luxury, craftsmanship, and timeless beauty. Me...
Category
2010s French Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
$630 Sale Price / item
30% Off
Pair of Italian Emerald Green Murano Glass and Brass Table Lamps
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Glamorous pair of Italian emerald green murano glass and brass lamps from the 1970’s.
In beautiful vintage construction with minor wear consistent with age.
Newly rewired for US. T...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Silk Furniture
Materials
Brass
cc-tapis COMPOSITION 4 Rectangular handmade rug by Kwangho Lee
By Kwangho Lee, cc-tapis
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Inspired by his copper series, Kwangho Lee and cc-tapis present The Color of Copper (TCOC), a collection of four hand-knotted rugs that reinterpret the oxidation process of this meta...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Nepalese Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
12 x 14 Contemporary Designed Tibetan Wool
Silk Rug In Goldern Brown
Located in Norwalk, CT
This contemporary Tibetan weave rug features an eye-catching multicolor striped pattern. Made from premium Tibetan wool or silk, it showcases intricate details and highlights a rich ...
Category
2010s Nepalese Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
Antique 19th Century French Verdure Landscape Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
Antique 19th Century French Verdure tapestry depicting a pristine and lovely landscape on the banks of a river with cupid hunting deer. The scene is surrounded by verdant and floral ...
Category
19th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Tapestry, Wool, Silk
Postmodern Pink Rose Light Blue Purple Wool and Silk Hand Knotted Rug
Located in New York, NY
The contemporary Classic designs bridge the gap between transitional and Postmodern, with an overall Classic sensibility. Rug patterns include abstract, geometric, overall, organic, ...
Category
2010s Indian Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
Vintage Obi textile art " From the Ashes ~ Serendipity ~" by ikasu Beige Japan
By Kimono ikasu
Located in Setagaya City, JP
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This canvas has been upcycled from an early 20th-century maru-obi, featuring a subtle yet sophisticated depiction of the phoenix—a legendary symbol of peace and renewal. Ren...
Category
1910s Japanese Japonisme Vintage Silk Furniture
Materials
Canvas, Silk
Dragon Rug Wool Silk Style Chinese Imperial Carpet Blue Beige, Djoharian Design
Located in Lohr, Bavaria, DE
Dragon design rug wool and silk in style of Chinese Kansu carpets 5 x 3.3 ft.
A beautiful contemporary dragon design rug, hand knotted using finest Chinese mulberry silk (80%) and...
Category
2010s Nepalese Chinese Export Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
FI Italian Rustic Raw Rolled Silk Pillow
Located in thousand oaks, CA
Our custom individually hand cut-and-sewn pillow collections are superbly styled and made to the highest premium designer quality standards.
FI large 24" x 24" Rustic Italian Silk Pillow...
Category
2010s Italian Organic Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Silk, Down, Feathers
$395 / item
Antique 18th Century Flemish Mythological Tapestry, with the Greek Deity Apollo
Located in New York, NY
An antique 18th century Flemish mythological tapestry, size 11'0 H x 12'6 W. This period European tapestry depicts the Greek God Apollo, who is the deity of the arts, poetry, crops, ...
Category
18th Century Belgian Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
$25,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Pair of Japanese Two Panel Screens: Misty Cedar Forest
Located in Hudson, NY
Enchanting grove of cedar trees in the mist with beautifully applied gold dust and mineral pigments on paper. Silk brocade border and black lacquer trim. Originally fusuma (sliding d...
Category
Mid-18th Century Japanese Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Gold
Rug
Kilim’s Oushak Style Rug in Burgundy and Blue with Floral Patterns
By Rug
Kilim
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hand-knotted in a luxurious blend of wool and silk, this 9x12 rug from Rug
Kilim’s Modern Classics Collection represents a new line inspired by vintage and antique Oushak rugs....
Category
2010s Indian Oushak Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
A Single Fortuny Cushion in the Laotze Pattern
By Fortuny, David Duncan
Located in New York, NY
A single Fortuny cushion in the Laotze pattern, in a discontinued colorway. With silk backs and silk bias edging. Filled with a 50/50 feather and down insert.
Category
2010s Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Anna Karlin Mulberry Globe Sconce - Large
By Anna Karlin
Located in New York, NY
A perforated hardwood channel allows the lamp armature to be moved up or down to the desired height. A hand-upholstered silk globe is suspended from the end of the armature, providin...
Category
2010s American Silk Furniture
Materials
Steel
$18,200 / item
Silk over Metal "Fan" Wall Lamp single fan by Aqua Creations
Located in linden, NJ
Fan wall light fixture is drawn from the shape of a flower. Its rippled lip and pleated silk shade casts a delicate light. Sold as a single, availa...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Organic Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Cut Steel
Passementerie French Chandelier
Located in Ballard, CA
Wrought iron structure is wrapped with silk cording. From an elaborate cap, fifteen arms descend at three staggered heights and depths, alternating in colors. Cording under the bobèc...
Category
2010s French Silk Furniture
Materials
Wrought Iron
$7,930 / item
Naeko Chandeliers by Kazuide Takahama
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Naeko Chandelier by Kazuide Takahama for Sirrah. Designed in Japan circa 1970s. This light features a white silk fabric which is supported by brass c...
Category
1970s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Silk Furniture
Materials
Metal, Brass
$7,500 / item
Antique 17th Century Brussels Old Testament Biblical Isaac Jacob
Esau Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
An antique 17th century Brussels Old Testament Biblical tapestry, size 11 '3 H x 10'10 W, featuring Isaac with his sons, Jacob and Esau, and other figures nearby. Enclosed within an ...
Category
17th Century Belgian Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
$59,995 Sale Price
20% Off
Large Silk Kantha Cover, India, 1980s
Located in Istanbul, TR
A finely done very large Kantha in good condition.
Category
Late 20th Century Indian Suzani Silk Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Silk
Antique Embroidery from Fez Morocco, Early 20th Century.
Located in Istanbul, TR
Fez embroidery was among the most sophisticated textile arts of Morocco, practiced by women in domestic settings and highly prized as part of marriage furnishings. The geometric patt...
Category
Early 20th Century Moroccan Folk Art Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Samuraï armor
Located in Brussel, BE
Amazing and unique Samuraï armor.
End of XIXth century, early XXth century.
Nimai do Okegawa gusoku (2 plate with barrel form cuirasse armor).
Composed o...
Category
Late 19th Century Japanese Japonisme Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Iron
$29,692
Iconic "Palm" XL Table Lamp Pine Wood
Natural Silk Shade Temde 1960s Boho Tiki
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This charming Temde table lamp from the 1960s brings a touch of tropical elegance to any interior.
Its pinewood base and stem are crafted to resemble a stylized palm tree, exuding m...
Category
1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Silk Furniture
Materials
Metal
Hand Knotted "Sodad Low" 170, Florian Pretet and Lisa Mukhia Pretet
Located in Geneve, CH
Hand knotted "Sodad Low" 170, Florian Pretet and Lisa Mukhia Pretetv
Made to Order Dimensions can be ordered
Dimensions: 170 x 240 cm
Materials: 85% wool 15% silk
100 knots/sq in
Va...
Category
2010s Nepalese Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
“Tiffany” Wall Bracket 23 Silver Silk, Antiqued Brass, Silvered Glass
Located in Pietrasanta, IT
TIFFANY
The first one,
Audrey inspired the iconic
Introducing Sabrina's breathtaking collection of Tiffany lamps.
Year after year Sabrina Landini perpetuates its exceptional exper...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Brass
Professionally Framed Silk and Cotton Ikat Fragment, Uzbekistan, E 20th C.
Located in Istanbul, TR
First the fragment has been hand backed on a linen fabric, then stretched over a wooden stretcher and finished with a wooden frame.
E 20th C. Uzbekistan.
Ready to go on a wall.
Fram...
Category
Early 20th Century Uzbek Folk Art Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Brass Lesan Wall Lamp by Florian Schulz
By Florian Schulz, Gaetano Sciolari, Hans-Agne Jakobsson, Gebrüder Cosack, Vereinigte Werkstätten München
Located in München, DE
Very nice, height-adjustable brass wall lamp from the 1970s.
The design and the very beautiful details create a very noble and pleasant light.
The lamp creates a very cozy atmosphere...
Category
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Silk Furniture
Materials
Brass
Exquisite Pair of Decorative Pillows
Located in Austin, TX
A pair of exquisite pillows made of Chinese 18th century silk embroidered floral pattern fragments in soft gold color and antique tassels fringes and ri...
Category
18th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
$2,800 / item
Japanese Shugendo Crow Tengu and Inari Fox Hand-painting 20th century
Located in Chiba, JP
Hand-painted Shugendo image on see-through silk, with ‘Karasu tengu’ (Crow-billed goblin) ridding on the Inari fox of divine messenger, expressing the final figure of ultimate monk h...
Category
20th Century Japanese Showa Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
2
6"x7
9" Cafe Noir Brown, Abarasque Design, Wool and Silk, Handmade Runner Rug
Located in Carlstadt, NJ
Cafe Noir Brown, Abarasque Design Tone on Tone, Wool and Silk, Handmade, Runner Oriental Rug
Primary materials: Wool
Silk
Latex: No Pile
height: 0.25 Inches
Style: Transitiona...
Category
2010s Indian Medieval Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
$377 Sale Price
20% Off
28x29 in Embroidered 100% Silk Wall Hanging. New Tablecloth. Modern Throw
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Celebrate the rich heritage of Asian craftsmanship with this exquisite 100% silk Suzani textile, meticulously hand-embroidered by skilled artisans. A true work of art, this piece emb...
Category
2010s Central Asian Suzani Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Traditional Silk Throw Pillow Cover, Hand Embroidered Cushion Cover. 19"x19"
Located in Spring Valley, NY
The Uzbek silk embroidery suzani cushion cover is a true masterpiece of textile art, originating from the vibrant and culturally rich region of Uzbekistan. Handcrafted with meticulou...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Uzbek Suzani Silk Furniture
Materials
Cotton, Linen, Silk
$68 Sale Price
70% Off
Pretty small 20th century french Aubusson tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Very beautiful 20th century Aubusson tapestry with a design of tapestries from 18th or 18th centuries, with the nature and with trees with bird and the river, a country house behind,...
Category
1970s French Aubusson Vintage Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
1920
s Turkish Silk Hereke Tree of Life Carpet with Ottoman Empire Style
Located in Dallas, TX
78665 Antique Turkish Silk Hereke Prayer Rug, 03'05 x 05'03. An extraordinary masterpiece of cultural distinction and refined artistry, this hand-knotted antique Turkish silk Hereke ...
Category
Early 20th Century Turkish Louis XVI Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
$4,380 Sale Price
36% Off
Choir Carpet from the Aubusson Manufacture – 19th Century – No. 1578
Located in Paris, FR
Period: 19th century
Condition: Excellent
Material: Wool & Silk
Dimensions: 470 x 113 cm
This magnificent carpet, having undergone a deep cleaning and a meticulous inspection by our...
Category
19th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
Rug
Kilim’s Chinese Art Deco-Inspired Rug, Gold with Serene Pictorial “Breeze”
By Rug
Kilim
Located in Long Island City, NY
This 9x10 rug represents one of the most elegant, exceptional new designs by Rug
Kilim—the first of a bold series entitled “Breeze” and a unique bridge between modern and Chine...
Category
2010s Nepalese Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Silk
Very Fine 19th Century Aubusson french Tapestry - The Lady with Unicorn N° 1364
Located in Paris, FR
Rare and Very Fine 19th Century Aubusson Tapestry - Signed - The Lady with the Unicorn - 1m74Hx1m95L - N° 1364
My personal opinion on this tapestry:
Normally I do not share my perso...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Aubusson Antique Silk Furniture
Materials
Wool, Silk
2 Rare Prototype Italian Organic Modern Swivel Lounge Chairs, Joe Colombo, 1970
By Joe Colombo
Located in New York, NY
2 Rare Prototype Italian Mid-Century Organic Modern Swivel Lounge Chairs attributed to Joe Colombo, circa 1968-1970. (Priced and Sold as Individual Pieces), These unique prototype ch...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Silk Furniture
Materials
Enamel, Stainless Steel
Tapestry Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period 1738 at the Gobelins
Located in Madrid, ES
Tapestry from the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Louis XVI period , made in 1738 at the Gobelins
One panel from a series of Gobelins tapestries depicting the History of Esther, illustrating Esther seated and attended by handmaidens, one washing her feet in golden basin, another fastening a bracelet, another offering a mirror, all observed by Mordecai, woven in the workshop of Michele Audran after a design by J. F. de Troy.
The Toilet of Esther c.1778-85.Royal Collection Trust-Queens Audience Chamber
Windsor Castle
The Sketches for the Esther Cycle by Jean-François de Troy (1736)
“and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mor’decai, ..., took for his own daughter.” (Est. 2:7)
A supple and undulating genius, both a flattering portraitist and a prolix history painter, as well as a brilliant genre painter, in a gallant or worldly vein, Jean-François de Troy (Paris, 1679 – Rome, 1752), solicited, although he had passed the threshold of old age, a new royal commission up to his ambitions. To obtain it, he submitted – successfully - for the approval of the Bâtiments du roi (administration), seven modelli painted in 1736 with his usual alacrity.
Inspired by one of the most novelistic texts of the Old Testament, the Book of Esther, these sketches in a rapid and virtuoso manner were transformed by the artist, between 1737 and 1740 into large cartoons intended to serve as models for the weavers of the Gobelins factory. Showing undeniable ease and skill in the composition in perfect harmony with the sensitivities of the times, the tapestry set met with great success.
The Story of Esther perfectly corresponded to the plan of the Bâtiments du roi to renew the repertoire of tapestry models used for the weavers of the royal factories while it also conformed to the tastes of Louis XV’s subjects for a fantastical Orient, the set for a dramatic tale in which splendour, love and death were combined. Indeed, no tapestry set was woven in France during the 18th century as often as that of Esther.
The series of modelli painted by de Troy during the year 1736 looks to the history of French painting and decoration under Louis XV as much as it does the history of the Gobelins. It probably counts among the most important rococo pictorial groups to have remained in private hands. First the Biblical source illustrated by De Troy which constitutes the base of one of the richest iconographical traditions of Western art will be considered. Then the circumstances and specific character of French civilisation during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV which contributed to making the theme of Esther a relevant subject, both attractive to contemporaries and remarkably in line with the sensitivities of the time will be elucidated.
An examination of the exceptional series of sketches united here, the cartoons and the tapestries that they anticipate as well as a study of their reception will close this essay. The Book of Esther: A scriptural source at the source of rich iconography.
The origin of the Esther tapestry set by Jean-François de Troy – origin and creation of a masterpiece
According to the evidence of one of the artist’s early biographers, the chevalier de Valory, author of a posthumous elegy of the master, read at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 6 February 1762, it was apparently due to early16 rivalry with François Lemoyne (1688-1737), his younger colleague who had precisely just been appointed First Painter to the King in 1736, that had encouraged François de Troy to seek a commission allowing him to show off his ease and his promptitude at the expense of a rival who was notoriously laborious: “M. De Troy, retaining some resentment of the kind of disadvantage which he believed to have suffered compared with his emulator looked to regain some territory by making use of the facility his rival did not possess.
Lemoyne was excessively long in the creation of his works,and M. De Troy of a rare celerity: consequently, with this particular talent, the latter offered to the court to make paintings appropriate to be executed at the Gobelins Factory; and it is to this circumstance that we owe the beautiful series of the Story of Esther, which would be sufficient alone to give him a great reputation.”17 Beyond the suspicion inspired by the topos, which still constitutes, more or less, a tale of rivalries between artists in ancient literature, there is probably some truth in what Valory reports although A.-J. Dezalier d’Argenville (who indicates rather spitefully that de Troy did not hesitate to “cut prices” to impose himself, benefitting from the productivity assured by the unlikely rapidity of his brush)18 proves to be more evasive: “As he looked to busy himself, he had offered to make the paintings that serve as models for the King’s tapestries cheaply: which did not please his colleagues.
He was given a choice of two tapestry series to be made and he took the Story of Esther and that of Jason”.19 Whether or not the choice was actually left to de Troy (which would appear rather casual on the royal administration’s part all the same), it seems likely that the artist, whose contemporaries extol his “fire”, as the faculty of invention was then called, must have ardently aspired to the possibility of using on a very large scale the “creative genius” with which Dezallier d’Argenville credits him. The decoration of the private apartments, the fashion for which Louis XV had promoted at Versailles and Fontainebleau, offered little opportunity to excel in this area. Other than painting for altarpieces, only tapestries could allow comparison with Lemoyne who had been granted – unfortunately for him – a major decoration: the enormous ceiling of the Hercules Room at Versailles. Favoured by the recent improvement in France’s financial situation, the revival of patronage offered de Troy a commission fitting for him, in a field in which, however, he had hardly any experience.
Anxious to renew the repertoire of models available to the Gobelins factory, the Duc d’Antin, surintendant des Bâtiments du roi from 1708 to 1736 followed by his successor, Philibert Orry comte de Vignory, gave him the task of producing seven large cartoons inspired by the Book of Esther corresponding to the brilliant sketches or modelli which de Troy had produced in one go, or almost (very few preparatory drawings can in fact be linked to the Esther cycle and all seem to be at the execution stage of the cartoons).20 Subjected to the approval of the Administration des Bâtiments according to the procedure in use for projects being planned for the Gobelins, sketches made rapidly during 1736 were approved and the project launched immediately. Thereupon came the news of François Lemoyne’s death, who, ground down by work and a victim of his private torment, committed suicide on 4 June 1737.
Against all expectations, de Troy did not replace his rival in the position of First Painter (which remained vacant until the appointment of Charles Coypel in January 1747), which would perhaps have made him too obviously the beneficiary of the drama. The awarding of the position of Director of the French Academy in Rome came to console him while he had already produced (or he was in the process of finishing), in Paris, three of the seven cartoons of the cycle (The Fainting of Esther finished in 1737 and the Toilet and Coronation of Esther, both finished in 1738).
De Troy, we can see, did not follow the order of the narrative but began with the subjects which apparently offered the least difficulty because he had already depicted them, or because they fall into a strong pictorial tradition (such is the case especially for the Fainting of Esther). He had hardly settled at the Palazzo Mancini in August 1738, when his first task which awaited the new director of the French Academy naturally consisted of honouring the royal commission and finishing without delay the final cartoons of the Story of Esther after the sketches he must have taken with him. As prompt as ever, de Troy discharged himself of the execution of the four remaining cartoons in only two years, by beginning with the largest format which allowed him to strike the imagination and to impose himself as soon as he arrived on the Roman stage: the Triumph of Mor’decai which was finished in 1739 (like Esther’s Banquet).
The following year, the Mor’decai's Disdain and The Sentencing of Haman were brought to an end in the same Neo-Venetian style, obviously tributary to Veronese with its choice of “open” monumental architecture which is characteristic of the entire cycle.21 The series, it should be noted, was almost augmented with some additional scenes in the mid 1740s. Indeed, the first tapestry set finished at the Gobelins in 1744 proved to be unsuitable for the arrangement of the Dauphine’s apartments at Versailles for which it had been intended to decorate the walls the following year (cf infra). Informed of this, de Troy, considering that the story of Esther offered “several good subjects,” immediately offered to illustrate one or new subject among those “which could appear to be the most interesting”.
The directeur des Bâtiments Orry, who managed the State’s accounts, obviously judged it less costly to have one of the tapestries widened to fill in the end of the Dauphine’s bedroom,22 which has probably deprived us of very original compositions, because de Troy had already illustrated the most famous themes, those that benefitted from a strongly established iconographical tradition and from which it was not easy to deviate
The Tapestry Set of the Story of Esther
Placed on the tapestry looms of the Gobelins at the end of the 1730s in Michel Audran’s workshop, the cycle created by de Troy aroused true infatuation. The few hundred tapestries made between 1738 and 1797 – all in high-warp tapestry and woven in wool and silk except for four in low-warp made in Neilson’s workshop – show the impressive success of a tapestry set that was without any doubt the most frequently woven of the 18th century in France.
29 Only three cartoons had been delivered by de Troy in 1738 when the first tapestry set was begun by Audran under the expert eye of Jean-Baptiste Oudry to whom the Directeur général des bâtiments, Philibert Orry had assigned the (weekly) supervision of the weaving. During the summer of 1738, the piece of the Fainting of Esther, which Oudry judged to be admirable, was finished.
During the winter of 1742, Oudry informed Orry that about two ells of the Triumph of Mor’decai had been made “with no faults”,that the Coronation of Esther was finished and that the Esther at her Toilet “a very gracious tapestry” was “a little over half” finished. Exhibited at Versailles in 1743, these two last pieces were admired by Louis XV and the Court.
On 3 December 1744, the set of seven tapestries was finally delivered to the Garde Meuble. It was intended, the honour was not slight, to decorate the apartments of the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain whose marriage to the young Dauphin Louis-Ferdinand had been fixed for the following year (it took place on 23 February 1745). Apparently it was thought that the theme of Esther the biblical heroine and wife of a foreign sovereign was appropriate for the apartments of the Spanish Dauphine.
As early as the month of March, the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel informed de Troy that her grand cabinet was decorated with the “Esther tapestry set” specifying however that “for lack of two small or one large piece, we have not been able to decorate the end of the room”. This difficulty led immediately to the Banquet episode being woven a second time in two parts (they were delivered to the Garde-Meuble on 30 December 1746) to garnish the panels on each side of the bed of the Dauphine who would hardly enjoy them (she died on 22 July 1746 and the decoration was installed for the new Dauphine Maria Josepha of Saxony).
The appearance of the set’s remarkable border, which imitated a richly sculpted wooden frame, should be mentioned. Conceived in 1738 by the ornamentalist Pierre Josse-Perrot and used in the later weavings until 1768, it tended to reinforce the resolutely painterly appearance of the tapestry set which, in this regard, pushed the art of tapestry as far as its ultimate mimetic possibilities. With the exception of Mor’decai's Disdain which had been removed earlier, the “editio princeps” of the story of Esther (from then on in nine pieces) remained at Versailles until the Revolution. Of the eight surviving tapestries, four are at the chateau of Compiègne and four belong today to the Mobilier National. No less than seven tapestry sets reputed to be complete (one of them in fact only had six tapestries) would be produced officially at the Gobelins up to 1772.
Literature:
1- The Œuvres mêlées of an emulator of Racine, the Abbé Augustin NADAL thus include an Esther. Divertissement spiritual which is exactly contemporary with Jean François de Troy’s cycle since it was performed in 1735 and published in Paris three years later.
2-Le Siècle de Louis XIV, 1751, 1785 ed., p. 96-97 for French ed.
3- Lemoyne and de Troy had been obliged to share the First Prize in the competition organised in 1727 between the most prominent history painters of the Académie Royale.
4- Mémoires…, pub. L. DUSSIEUX et al., 1854, II, p.265.
5-The fact that de Troy, at the risk of falling out with his colleagues, did not hesitate to make use of prices in order to convince the new directeur des Bâtiments Philibert Orry, is confirmed by Mariette who adds tersely “it caused much shouting” (pub. 1851-1860, II, p. 103).
6- Abrégé de la vie des plus fameux peintres…, ed. 1762, IV, p. 368-369 20 Early comments on the painter are inclined to present him as a kind of “pure painter”, doing without the medium of drawing, a few intermediary studies between the Esther sketches and the large cartoons at the Louvre nevertheless show that de Troy used red chalk (see in the catalogue, the notice for the Meal of Esther and Ahasuerus under the entry drawing) to change one or other figure.
7-C. GASTINEL-COURAL (cat. exp. PARIS, 1985, p. 9-13) as well as the article by J. VITTET, exh. cat. LA ROCHE-GUYON, 2001, p. 51-55.
8-The Hermitage in St. Petersburg conserves five tapestries of these two royal gifts whose provenance still awaits elucidation (as far as we are aware). In 1766, the Grand Marshal of Russia, Count Razumovski (or Razamowski), acquired the Fainting and the Banquet extracted from the sixth weaving (J. VITTET, 2001, p. 53).
9- Lettres écrites de Suisse, d’Italie…,quoted by J. VITTET, op. cit., p. 54.
10-The tapestry set remained in the hands of a branch of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family until 1933 (ibid. P. 54).
11-Quoted by Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, p. 97, note 269.
12-Y. CANTAREL-BESSON, 1992, p. 241.
Catalogue
The Esther at her Toilet
Oil on canvas, 57 x 51 cm Provenance: Painted in 1736 at the same time as the six other modelli of the Story of Esther intended to be presented, for approval, to the direction des Bâtiments du Roi; perhaps identifiable among a lot of sketches by Jean-François de Troy in the post mortem inventory of the amateur, historian and critic Claude-Henri Watelet (1718-1786) drawn up on 13 January 1786 and following days (A.N. T 978, n° 30) then in the sale of the property of the deceased, Paris, 12 June 1786, n° 33; Paris, François Marcille Collection (who owned a series of six sketches from which the Triumph of Mor’decai was missing, see infra); Paris, Marcille Sale, Hôtel Drouot, 12-13 January 1857, n° 36; Asnières, Mme de Chavanne de Palmassy ( ?) collection; Paris, Galerie Cailleux; Paris, Humbert de Wendel collection (acquired from the Galerie Cailleux in 1928); by inheritance in the same family; Paris, Sotheby’s, 23 June 2011, n° 61. In order not to add unnecessarily to the technical commentary on each work, the catalogue raisonné by Chr. Leribault which contains a substantial bibliography on the series should be referred to. The other bibliographical references only concern the publications and exhibitions to have appeared and been presented more recently. Bibliography and Exhibitions: Chr. LERIBAULT, 2002, n° P. 247 (repr.); E. LIMARDO DATURI, 2004, p. 28; Exh. cat. NANTES, 2011, p. 138, n° 34, referred to in note 1; Sotheby’s catalogue, Tableaux anciens et du XIXe siècle, 23 June 2011, n° 61 (repr.).
Related Works:
Tapestry cartoon: The cartoon (oil on canvas, 329 x 320 cm), the third made by the artist in Paris after the sketches had been approved by the direction des Bâtiments, is in the Louvre (Inv. 8315). It previously bore the painter’s signature and the date 1738 (inscriptions which are found on the tapestries). The royal administration paid 1600 livres for it on 21 June 1738 and it was exhibited at the Salon in the year of its creation.
Summary Biography
1679 (27 January): Baptism in Paris (Parish of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet) of Jean-François de Troy, son of the painter François de Troy and Jeanne Cotelle, sister of the painter Jean II Cotelle.
1696-1698: Studies (apparently rather turbulent) at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture.
1698-1708: First trip to Italy. Is obliged to leave Rome in January 1711 after a tempestuous affair (a duel?), de Troy extends the traditional Roman experience as a pensionnaire at the Académie de France by also visiting Tuscany where he stays for a long time, Venice (his art in face has a strongly Venetian character) and Genoa.
1708: De Troy (whose father had been elected Director of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture on 7 July) is agréé and immediately received at the Académie with Apollo and Diana Piercing with their Arrows the Children of Niobe (Montpellier, Musée Fabre) on 28 July.
1710: First royal commission, paid for on 10 May (a sketch representing “the Promotion of the Order of the Holy Spirit” for the tapestry series of the History of the King).
1716: Jean-François de Troy is elected Assistant Professor at the Academy.
1720: He is appointed Professor.
1723: The artist creates the double portrait of Louis XV...
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