La Musique Tapestry by Francois Boucher

#20947

Tapestry  

10’ 4” x 17’ 8”

Wool and Silk pattern wefts on wool warp; warps/inch.

Beauvais, French Royal Tapestry Workshop under the direction of Nicolas Besnier and Jean – Baptiste Oudry (1734-1753), or A.C. Charron (1753-1780).

Designed by Francois Boucher

Subject: La Musique (Music) No. 9 of a set of 14 panels “Fetes Italiennes” or “Italian Scenes”, showing peasants and working-class folk with a few panels displaying members of the upper classes at play.  “Music” is one of these.

Boucher’s original drawings for Music (and other tapestries as well) are in The Stadelkunst Institute (Frankfort, Germany), and in a private collection in Paris.

This was Boucher’s first tapestry design commission for the Beauvais factory. His other work includes the “Nobles Pastorales” series in the 1750’s.

There is no complete set of all 14 tapestries extant and no complete set was ever woven for a single client.  The present panel lacks a mark in the outer plain blue border, now excised and replaced by a later restoration.  The mark would have given the place (Beauvais) and either Besnier’s or Charron’s name.

The entire set of the “Fetes Italiennes” comprises:

1. Le Operateur (The Charlatan)
2. La Bohemienne (The Gypsy Fortune Teller)
3. Les Pecheuses (The Fishing Girls)
4. Les Chasseurs (The Hunting Boys)
5. La Curiosite (Curiosity)
6. Les Filles aux Raisins (Girls Gathering Grapes)
7. La Danse (Dance)
8. La Collation (The Luncheon)
9. La Musique (Music)
10. Le Jardinier (The Gardener)
11. La Bergere
12. La Cabaretier (The Inn Keeper)
13. Le Perroquet (The Parrot)
14. Le Marchant d’Oeufs (The Eggseller)

Of the Fetes Italiennes, No. 9, Music was executed eleven times: 1745, 1746, 1750 4 times, 1751 twice, 1753 twice. 1754.

There was a partial set of six panels including Music sold in Paris, M.X…Collection, Galerie Georges Petit, 23.5.27 and all are illustrated in the catalogue.  The version of Music, lot 2 is shorter, 3.15 m. height, 2.90 m. long.

Only the right half of the whole composition appears, ending just to the left of the outstretched arm of the cellist in the center.  The trellised garden ledge and tower, along with two figures are not present.  Our panel is 8’ 8” longer than the 1927 example.  The double guilloche border is common to both versions and is one of the standard Beauvais borders used as late as 1774.  It also appears in the set in N.Y.

The sizes and subjects of the X … Collection pieces are as follows:

Dance             3.10 m x 4.75 m
Music             3.15 m x 2.90 m
Hunters         3.10 m x 2.75 m
Fishers           3.10 m x 2.0 m
Entrefenetre 3.05 m x 1.45 m
Entrefenetre  3.10 m x 1.40 m

Music is therefore, in its original form, the largest of the set.

The 1927 catalogue notes that there are longer replicas of Music with the additional personages to left.  This variation and reduction of scenes is not uncommon and because of the weaving process, here from right to left, is easy to accomplish.  The process proceeds horizontally, and the weavers can start or stop at any point in the cartoon.

Panel no. 9, Music, was woven in:

1745 for M. Gautier (nos. 7, 8, 9)
1746 for General Sale (nos. 7-10)
1750 for M. d’Aremberg (nos. 7-10)
1750 for Sueden (nos. 7, 9, 10)
1750 for M. Lalande (nos. 2, 8-10)
1750 for General Sale (nos. 1-4, 7-10)
1751 for M. Thibault (nos.1,3,4,7,9,10)
1751 for M. de Vermonoye (nos.7-9)
1753 for M. Duvocel (nos. 9-11)
1753 for Mme. Geoffrin (nos. 4,7-10)
1754 for M. Marchant (nos. 3,4,9,11)

Since our panel employs the full cartoon, it was likely one of the earlier editions, possibly as early as 1745 or 1746.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY has 9 pieces including one duplicate  slightly expanded to left.  Music is not included.  Standen is in error in stating that the Met’s set is complete.

The series is internally stylistically coherent and some of the same figures and scenic elements are reused.  For example, Music and The Gardener (no. 10) both employ the same trellised garden walls and the female in profile in The Gardener reappears almost exactly as the central girl close to the cellist in Music.  The putti riding dolphins in the fountain at the right of Music reappears in other examples of Boucher’s work.  The rustic leaning on the ledge is of the same laborer social class as The Gardener in no. 10.  The dimensions of “Music” are the greatest for any of the series and although it is unknown how many of the eleven editions of this design were produced in the fully extended large format, it was clearly a special creation.  No armorial device was ever present.  Sets were often split and recombined, and it is not possible to trace all the editions on individual panels.

Condition:

There has been selective color fading, but the reds have held up very well.  The condition is quite good and splitting is minor.  The silk has been replaced.  The borders have been shaved on the edges with the loss of any marks in the plain dark slip.  The plain strip has been replaced at the ends.

References:

1. Jules Badin, Le Manufacture de Tapisseriede Beauvais, Paris, 1909. The full chronology of all series is given, and it is still the essential primary source work.

2. Edith Standen, European Post-Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, 2 Vols. Italian Village Scenes (Fetes Italiennes), No. 78 pp 507-533.

3. Trois Siecles de Tapisserie de Beauvais, Beauvais, 1964.

Variation of Mandarin Nine Lion Dog Carpet

#20853

Main Hall Carpet

11’9” x 12’

Mid 18^th  Century

Structural Analysis:

Warp:cotton,off-white,natural,Z-4-S,somewhat irregular;

Weft:cotton,off-white,Z-4-S,winder plied, quite irregular;2 shots alternating; wefts thick and soft;

Pile:wool,Z-4;

Knot: PL/0 degrees warp depression/horiz. 6 x vertical 5 = 30 knots per square inch; knots somewhat irregular, some quite thin; [check for T knots along edges]

Sides: two cords each of two body warps, inner directly weft-attached; figure eight sparsely weft yarn wrapped;

Weft/knot ratio: 60/40 wefts predominant.

Remarks:

This is another variant on the popular Mandarin nine lion dog carpet.  The polychrome cloud wreath has exuberant, almost Baroque volutes at the four cardinal points.  The intermediary wreath sections were in field tones and have faded, making the composition rather hard to discern: the wreath would have been more salient before the changes to the long, curved, intermediate sections.

The dominant, dark blue lion dog appears at the top of the medallion and has a wide, particularly expressive face, complete with character creases and a canine snout.  The dog has real personality and individuality, unlike most of the animals in similar carpets. The main dog is alert and lively, with curved and slightly droopy ears.  All the dogs have light colored forepaws and small over pelts.  The creatures are well spaced and not crowded in the medallion.  The protected (protégé) dog is particularly small.  The main dog seems to have no parallels among published carpets and were any to appear, an attribution to the same workshop should be considered.

#18830 NingXia 15’0″ x 15’3″ circa 1770

The corners of the field employ double peony arabesques forming simplified “heart” points at the right angles.  The development here is much more schematic than l8830 and need not indicate the same workshop of origin.  Sprays of tree peonies, butterflies, leafy twigs, fractional tendrils and grassy clusters are spotted throughout the now buff field.

The dark blue peony main border is notable for the rare diagonal corner palmettes from which emanate foliate sprays in both directions in order to make a perfectly symmetric turn.  A bold T-fret inner border in salmon and dark blue has neat T’s in three corners and a single hook in one.  This is a certain indicator, if one is still needed, that no scale paper cartoons were available to the weavers.  Specifically, there was no formal illustration of how to make a fret border turn a corner.

#18355 NingXia 13’6″ x 13’10” circa 1750

As with our other examples, this nine dog main hall carpet was probably woven to the order of a successful Mandarin administrator.  Each of our large lion dog carpets seem to originate in a different shop, although 20853 and l8355 may be more clearly related than the others.  The extreme technical uniformity across the entire local industry deprives us of any unique idiosyncrasies and hence pattern is the sole evidence for differentiation.  One must also keep in mind that the same shop evolved over time, producing different carpets for different clients, changing the design pool when useful and implying a rotating work staff.

To view this rug on our website, click here.

One Directional Royal Hunting Carpet

#20799

Kerman, Kerman Province, S.E. Persia

13’ x 18’9” (3.96 x 5.72m)

Circa 1900

Provenance: workshop of Master Weaver (Oustad Ali Kermani)

Structure

Structure: typical Kerman triple wefted weave.

Warp: cotton, beige, natural, Z-6-S-3-Z, machine spun cable.

Weft: cotton, beige, natural, Z-4-S handspun (?); 3 shoots alternating: 1^st and 3^rd wavy; 2^nd straight.

Pile: wool, Z-2; Persian (asymmetric) knots open left; 90º alternate warps depressed; horizental 16 x vertical 16-18 = 256-298/inch sq.

Sides: 1 cord of cotton warps, wrapped in dark blue wool.

Ends:  3/8” balanced beige cotton plainweave, then a fringe of warps bunched in 16’s and knotted.

Description and Iconography

This carpet is basically a royal hunt with a variety of hunters, animals, background flora, and small vignettes from other Persian tales.  The individual figures (and groups) are taken directly or otherwise from miniature paintings.  Both the field and border have the same style of hunter on horseback and are unified by the dark blue ground. 

Among the traditional figures are:

1. The hunter attacked by a lion – here the designer has omitted the dagger wielded by the royal figure as the beast attacks;
2. the hunter with a sword attacking a lion;
3. a hunter, in this case with a Shah ‘Abbas style mustache, with a bow;
4. hunters lassoing wild goats – one is clearly a shepherd, one a more noble figure;
5. hunter spearing a (small) leopard;
6. hunters with daggers attacked by lions;

Of particular note are the variegated saddle-covers of the riders.

Other figurines are taken from Persian miniatures as well:

1. The figure, naked to the waist, with crown and sumptuous robes on a tree is probably Shirin bathing in a pool from Khosrow and Shirin by Nizami;
2. the semi-clothed male figure confronted by a female, probably represents Majnun and Laila from the tale of the same title, also by Nizami;
3. the regal woman in a howdah on an elephant may be Shirin or Laila or perhaps is from another tale.  The details of the howdah indicate that it was closely copied from a painted original.

There is a wide variety in male headgear: crowns with and without high internal caps; stick turbans, flat caps, felt hats.

The figure of Bahram Gur may be represented by a lion hunter or may simply be an inspiration for these generic hunters.

The hunters wield:

• scimitars (shamshirs)
• bows and arrows
• maces
• lassoes
• curved daggers

The fauna is widely varied and includes:

• lions
• tiger
• wild horses
• domesticated horses
• boars
• leopards in two color ways
• cheetahs
• antelope
• wild goats
• harpis or sphinxes with human heads and breasts
• hunting hawks
• Indian elephant
• various hunting dogs
• monkeys
• bulbuls
• doves
• two types of Simurgh
• other birds
• reindeer (spotted)
• rabbits
• wolf
• tapir (?)
• dragon

The floras are equally diverse, but not so identifiable, though probably include prunes, flowering peach daisies, roses, etc.  The background is in a millefleurs style.

Odd motifs include the severed hand in the jaws of the wolf, and the harpy head with the cheetah.  Animals attack other animals.  In particular, the huge scaly dragon ascending toward the bird’s nest: this is a symbol of evil attacking the innocent.  Another is the small Simurgh devouring a dove.  There are no combats of purely terrestrial animals.

There is no perspective and there is a naive juxtaposition of figures and decorative elements.  The color palette, as is common in the best Kermans, is extremely wide and there are probably 15 or more colors.

Attribution and Dating

A possible attribution of the design is to Zeman Khan of Kerman.  Compare his Interpretation in wool of the 16^th century Kashan silk hunting carpet in Vienna from 1922 (Edwards, A. The Persian Carpet, London 1953, ill. 214, p. 227) – in which some of the figures are identical, although, as in the original, all wear the mid-century stick turbans.  Also close are the renderings of the animals, especially the shading of the horses.  Note particularly the analogous spotted horse in each carpet.  The colorful saddle covers of the riders are all extremely similar.

The use of classical Persian motifs from carpets and paintings was particularly popular in Kerman in the 1900’s.  Even in the minor borders – an alternation of div (demon) heads and female faces – reference to earlier prototypes is made.  In some 16^th century carpets demon faces are a border motif.

Edwards dates a pictorial unidirectional piece with a similar millefleurs ground to circa 1890.  The millefleurs ground of our piece and the 1900s carpet are virtually identical.  Thus, an attribution of Zaman Khan and a date in the early 1900’s are most likely.

To view this rug on our website, click here.