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Wool Rugs and Carpets

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Material: Wool
Early 19th Century Chinese Ningxia Carpet ( 10 8" x 12 - 325 x 365 )
Located in New York, NY
Early 19th Century Chinese Ningxia Carpet ( 10 8" x 12' - 325 x 365 ) Early 19th Century Chinese Ningxia Carpet, Circa 1800 This exceptional Ningxia carpet from early 19th century Ch...
Category

Early 1800s Chinese Antique Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Contemporary Handmade Moroccan Rug in Blue Ivory. 100% Wool. Custom Ops Avail.
Located in Spring Valley, NY
A contemporary, hand-knotted brand new Moroccan rug with an all-over design of irregular, flowing, lozenge shaped lattices in cream against a blue field. The slightly darker and ligh...
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21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Doris Leslie Blau Vintage European Arts Crafts Rug by Gavin Morton
Located in New York, NY
Vintage European Arts & Crafts Rug by Gavin Morton Size: 11'9" × 14'0" (358 × 426 cm). A distinguished early 20th-century European Arts & Crafts rug by renowned Scottish designer Gav...
Category

Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Rug Kilim’s Contemporary Dhurrie Rug with White and Blue Stripes
Located in Long Island City, NY
This contemporary 4×6 Dhurrie flat weave is an exciting new entry in Rug & Kilim’s esteemed custom-capable collection. Handwoven in cotton, it’s a modern take on antique and vintage ...
Category

2010s Indian Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage Swedish Rya Rug, Green Scandinavian Solid Open Field - Rug Kilim
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hand-knotted in lush, high-pile wool in Sweden circa 1960-1970, this 9x11 vintage Swedish Rya rug is a bold new addition to Rug Kilim’s curation of iconic, collectible mid-cent...
Category

1960s Swedish Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Nazmiyal Collection Antique French Aubusson Rug 14 ft 7 in x 16 ft 6 in
Located in New York, NY
Antique French Aubusson Rug Handwoven Floral in Soft Pastels – "Chateau Bloom," Origin: France, Circa Late 18th Century
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Late 18th Century French Aubusson Antique Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Unique First Prototype Accidental Carpet by Tejo Remy Rene Veenhuizen
By Tejo Remy Rene Veenhuizen
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Designer: Atelier Remy & Veenhuizen, i.c.w. Tanja Smeets Unique Prototype 'Accidental Carpet' Year: 2007 Material: cut wool 1950's blankets, Latex, Jute Cotton The Blanket carpet ...
Category

Early 2000s Dutch Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Jute, Latex

Late 19th Century Persian Bakh Shaiesh Rug
Located in New York, NY
North-West Persia ca. Late 19th Century 14'7" x 9'1" (445 x 277 cm) Handwoven
Category

Late 19th Century Persian Bakshaish Antique Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

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 Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Pillow Cover Made from a Caucasian Karabakh Rug, Early 20th C.
Located in Istanbul, TR
It does not come with an insert. Linen in the back. Zipper closure. Dry Cleaning is recommended. The item above id made from an antique rug fragment therefore it is not in brand new...
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Early 20th Century Caucasian Tribal Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

6x9.4 ft Moroccan Berber Tulu Rug Made of Natural Wool. Custom Options Available
Located in Spring Valley, NY
100% Natural Hand-Spun Wool of finest quality. These hand-knotted rugs are produced from scratch in our atelier located in Central Anatolia, famous for being one of the world's olde...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Rug Tapestry inspired by Joan Miro
Located in Paddington, NSW
Vibrant hand-knotted Merino wool tapestry or carpet, inspired by the playful visual language of Joan Miró. This striking composition features animated abstract figures rendered in bo...
Category

1980s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique Qashqai Carpet 3.35m x 2.35m
Located in St. Albans, GB
An unusually large antique Qashqai carpet, hand woven by the eponymous nomadic tribe circa 1920. The design features 3 small medallions on a terracotta field of stylised flowers and ...
Category

1920s Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique Persian Tabriz Rug. Size: 9 ft 6 in x 12 ft
Located in New York, NY
Antique Persian Tabriz Rug, Origin: Persia, Circa Date: 1920 – Size: 9 ft 6 in x 12 ft (2.9 m x 3.66 m).
Category

Early 20th Century Persian Tabriz Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Beautiful Vintage Art Deco Polish Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Nice mid century Polish tapestry with beautiful design with stylized birds and a orange field color, entirely hand woven with wool on cotton foundation...
Category

Mid-20th Century Polish Art Deco Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Cotton

8x10 Ft Contemporary Moroccan Style Rug. Natural Wool. Custom Options Available
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Elevate your living space with the exquisite charm of this new modern hand-knotted Moroccan berber beni ourain rug, crafted with precision and care from 100% wool. Combining the allu...
Category

2010s Turkish Scandinavian Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

8 8"x11 9" Olive Green Peshawar with Khotan Design Pure Wool Hand Knotted Rug
Located in Carlstadt, NJ
Olive Green, Peshawar with Khotan Design, Natural Dyes, Pure Wool, Hand Knotted, Oriental Rug Primary materials: Wool Latex: No Pile height: 0.25 Inches Style: Traditional Primary c...
Category

2010s Afghan Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Handmade Wool Area Flat Weave Runner, 3x12 Green, Cream Geometric Indian Dhurrie
Located in Jaipur, IN
Handmade New Zealand Wool Natural Vegetable Dyed, Dark Olive Green And Cream Geometric Patterned Indian Dhurrie Wool Runner - 3'x12' (90x360cm) These special flat-weave dhurries are...
Category

2010s Indian Mid-Century Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage Gabbeh Tribal Rug in Polychromatic Striae and Dots Pattern - Rug Kilim
Located in Long Island City, NY
A vintage 3x4 Persian Gabbeh rug, making a grand entry to Rug & Kilim’s curation of rare tribal pieces. Hand-knotted in wool, originating circa 1950-1960. On the Design: This vint...
Category

1950s Turkish Tribal Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Contemporary Moroccan Style Hand-Knotted Wool Rug with Geometric Diamond Pattern
Located in Spring Valley, NY
This contemporary hand-knotted wool rug draws inspiration from traditional Moroccan Beni Ourain designs while offering a refined modern aesthetic. Its soft ivory ground is accented b...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Scandinavian Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Contemporary Overdyed Hand Knotted Wool Pink Area Rug
Located in Norwalk, CT
Vibrance rugs epitomize classic with a twist: traditional patterns overdyed in brilliant color. Each hand-knotted rug is washed in a 100% natural botanical dye that reveals hidden nu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Sad Pigeon Pictorial Persian Kilim Wall Hanging
Located in New York, NY
Scatter size Persian Kilim from the late 20th century with a large lonely white pigeon getting cuddled by a boy and a girl on a blue field This was originally belonging to a private...
Category

Late 20th Century Persian Folk Art Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Customizable ClassiCon Roquebrune Rug in Wool by Eileen Gray
Located in New York, NY
Eileen Gray created not only some of the most important furniture classics of the 20th century but also had her own studio where rugs were produced according to her designs. Some of ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Zabihi Collection Mansion Size Antique Turkish Oushak Rug
Located in New York, NY
an early 20th century Ivory Field Mansion Size Antique Oushak Carpet Details rug no. 10826 size 19' 6" x 24' 9" (594 x 754 cm) Oushak rugs originated in the small town of Oushak in...
Category

Early 20th Century Turkish Oushak Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Early 20th Century S.E. Persian Kirman Carpet ( 9 2"x 11 8" - 280 x 355 )
Located in New York, NY
Early 20th Century S.E. Persian Kirman Carpet ( 9'2"x 11'8" - 280 x 355 )
Category

1910s Persian Kirman Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Doris Leslie Blau Oversized Antique Persian Tabriz Rug
Located in New York, NY
Oversized Antique Persian Tabriz Rug Size: 14'10" × 20'8" (452 × 629 cm) This magnificent oversized Persian Tabriz rug, dating to the late 19th century, is an extraordinary represent...
Category

Late 19th Century Persian Tabriz Antique Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Early 20th Century Handmade East Turkestan Pictorial Lion Khotan Accent Rug
Located in New York, NY
An antique East Turkestan pictorial lion Khotan accent rug handmade during the early 20th century. Measures: 4' 2" x 6' 0"
Category

Early 20th Century East Turkestani Rustic Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

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 Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Silk

Early 20th Century Chinese Art Deco Rug
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderful early 20th century Chinese Art Deco rug with a muted cranberry field surrounded by a wide indigo border, and all overlaid with multi-colored peonies and lotus flowers, wi...
Category

1920s Chinese Art Deco Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Persian Area Rug - Bakhtiar Design
Located in Dallas, TX
Discover the Enduring Beauty of a Hand-Knotted Bakhtiari Area Rug: ◾This exquisite Bakhtiari area rug, originating from the rich weaving traditions of Iran, is a true testament to t...
Category

Late 20th Century Persian Tribal Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Zabihi Collection Large Antique Persian Sarouk
Located in New York, NY
A stunning full pile antique Persian Sarouk rug in mahogany red and royal blue. 12'1'' x 15'2'' early 20th century
Category

Early 20th Century Persian Chesterfield Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

2 x3 THE CARDIAC Sari Silk with Textured Wool Hand Knotted Oriental Rug
Located in Carlstadt, NJ
This is a truly genuine one-of-a-kind THE CARDIAC Sari Silk with Textured Wool Hand Knotted Oriental Rug. It has been woven for months and months in the centuries-old Persian weaving...
Category

2010s Indian Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage Gabbeh Persian Runner Rug with Tribal Animal Pictorials - Rug Kilim
Located in Long Island City, NY
This vintage 3x6 Persian Gabbeh runner rug is the latest grand entry to Rug & Kilim’s curation of rare tribal pieces. Hand-knotted in wool circa 1950-1960. On the Design: A true c...
Category

1950s Persian Tribal Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Zabihi Collection 19th Century Worn Antique Caucasian Soumac Flatweave
Located in New York, NY
Square size accent size Soumac worn/distressed flatweave from the middle of the 19th century Details rug no. j4258 size 5' 4" x 6' 2" (163 x 188 cm)
Category

Mid-19th Century Persian Tribal Antique Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

1880s Multicolor Tribal Tree N.W Persian Bakshaiesh Rug 7 4"x8 Square Carpet
Located in New York, NY
19th Century N.W. Persian "Bakshaiesh" Carpet ( 7'4" x 8' - 224 x 244 ) This example of 19th-century weaving showcases the robust, tribal aesthetic characteristic of early Iranian ...
Category

1880s Persian Bakshaish Antique Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Rug Kilim’s Chinese Art Deco Style Runner Rug, Amber Gold with Floral Patterns
Located in Long Island City, NY
Made with hand-knotted wool, this 3x8 contemporary rug represents the Chinese Art Deco rug collection by Rug & Kilim—inspired from the 1920s Chinoiserie style period pieces of the mo...
Category

2010s Indian Art Deco Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Modern Moroccan Style Wool Rug With Seamless Abstract Design In Brown
Located in Norwalk, CT
This beautifully made wool rug showcases a contemporary Moroccan pattern in a calming Ivory shade, artfully set against a captivating brown background. The perfect harmony between th...
Category

2010s Pakistani Organic Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage American Braided Rug
Located in New York, NY
A vintage American Braid carpet from the mid-20th century.
Category

Mid-20th Century American American Colonial Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage American Braided Rug
Vintage American Braided Rug
$3,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Zabihi Collection Brown Ivory Small Moroccan Plush Rug
Located in New York, NY
a small size beni Ourain Mid 20th Century white and brown Moroccan Rug Details rug no. j4442 size 2' 8" x 5' 10" (81 x 178 cm) rug type Moroccan  
Category

Mid-20th Century Moroccan Mid-Century Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

White Background Mid-Century Moroccan Azilal Rug with Brown Diamond Design
Located in Atlanta, GA
Measures: 4'10'' x 7'0''. This graphic handwoven, tribal Beni Ourain rug features an all-over design of large, interconnected diamond shapes, some of which host tribal figures in the...
Category

Mid-20th Century Moroccan Tribal Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Zabihi Collection Chinese Art Deco Round Rug
Located in New York, NY
a 1940s Chinese Deco Round Small Rug Details rug no. j3067 size 2' 10" x 2' 11" (86 x 89 cm)
Category

20th Century Chinese Anglo-Indian Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage Kilim ESMEH
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Pleasant and refined kilim, with geometric hexagons design. Delicate pastel colors. ref. nr. 1248 -
Category

Mid-20th Century Turkish Other Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Mid-20th Century Handmade Persian Pictorial Tabriz Hunting Ground Carpet
Located in New York, NY
A vintage Persian Tabriz pictorial hunting ground room size carpet handmade during the mid-20th century. Measures: 9' 11" x 12' 7".
Category

Mid-20th Century Persian Folk Art Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Antique 19th Century Samarkand Rug
Located in Los Angeles, US
Antique Samarkand Rugs: The desert oasis of Khotan was an important stop on the Silk Road. The people of Khotan were expert carpet weavers who produced high quality antique rugs and ...
Category

Early 1900s Other Antique Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Vintage Swedish Rya Rug In Brown and Blue with Geometric Pattern Rug Kilim
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hand-knotted in lush, high-pile wool in Sweden circa 1960-1970, this 3x5 vintage Swedish Rya rug is a bold new addition to Rug & Kilim’s curation of rare and collectible mid-century ...
Category

1960s Swedish Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Fine Antique 18th Century French Verdure Tapestry 8’6” x 11’2”
Located in New York, NY
Fine Antique 18th Century French Verdure Tapestry 8’6” x 11’2”.
Category

18th Century French Antique Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

5.5x9.2 Ft Modern Area Rug in Red, Handwoven and Handknotted in Turkey
Located in Spring Valley, NY
Our over-dyed rugs are all hand-knotted vintage pieces that are recreated in our workshop to cater to a wider range of interior design choices from modern to coastal, from industrial...
Category

20th Century Turkish Modern Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Persian Mir Rug in Washed Contrast Allover Field Design
Located in New York, NY
Hand-knotted Iran 1930s
Category

1930s Vintage Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Vintage Style Sultanabad Revival Round Rug
Located in WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA
Series of medallions and florid ornaments are reflected through faded charcoal embellishments to blooming and calming taupe fields. The borders are beautifully hand-woven that create...
Category

2010s Afghan Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

Stunning Walter Nichols Chinese Art Deco Purple Rug
Located in New York, NY
A phenomenal room size full pile condition Chinese Art Deco Rug from the 1930s. Measures: 9' x 11'6''.
Category

Early 20th Century Turkish Art Deco Wool Rugs and Carpets

Materials

Wool

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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