Helena Gumley
Head of Sale Carpets and Tapestries
Lot 95TP
A French second quarter 18th century tapestry 271cm x 264cm
18 December 2020, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £20,250 inc. premium
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A French second quarter 18th century tapestry
woven in wool and silk threads, the whole depicting an exotic scene with palm trees in the middle distance and a male holding a parasol as he is bourne in a litter by two males, after cartoons by Albert Eckhout and Frans Post based on "Le Roi porte par deux maures" from the Gobelins sets called "Anciennes Indes" produced between 1687-1730, lacking its border and probably reduced in size
271cm x 264cm
271cm x 264cm
Footnotes
Provenance
Previously forming part of a collection at an historic French property
The treasure of Dutch Brazil
The series of tapestries -now known as Les Aciennes Indes, were created in 1687 by weavers of the French royal Gobelins manufactory. The cartoons used for the production of these tapestries were produced by two Dutch artists - Albert Eckhout and Frans Post. The cartoons were presented to Louis XIV as part of a large collection as a representation of the exoticism and wonder of the New World (more specifically the territories of Dutch-held Eastern Brazil).
The artists who produced the cartoons had made an expedition to Brazil between 1637 and 1644. They documented their findings in a series of drawings and paintings, with Eckhout focussing on the humans, animals and flora and fauna of the region while Post focussed almost exclusively on landscapes.
Literature
"Le Cheval Rayé": A French Tapestry Portraying Dutch Brazil, Charissa Bremer-David
The J. Paul Getty Museum Journal , 1994, Vol. 22 (1994), pp. 21-29, Published by: J. Paul Getty Trust