ANTIQUE FRENCH TAPESTRY AND GOBELINS
A PARIS MYTHOLOGICAL TAPESTRY from The Loves of the Gods, probably after Simon Vouet, the goddess Venus in a golden chariot supported by winged figures, the reins in her left hand and a whip in her right, the four-sided floral border interrupted by cartouches with figures of Cupid and Venus, the upper corners with plumed masks and the lower ones with recumbent caryatides, about 10ft. pin. high by 8ft. 3m. wide (325cm. by 252cm.) circa 1630, weavers mark of Charles de Comans.
Grand Hall.
LES MOIS LUCAS. A complete set of Gobelins Tapestries of the Zodiac Months by Dominique de la Croix including two by Michel Souet and Jean de la Fraye, probably after Lucas van Ley den, in fine four-sided floral borders, the top with the appropriate sign of the Zodiac and roundels in the corners with displayed red eagles, the sides with classical portrait medallions and the bottom borders with the Labours of Hercules and roundels of playing children in the corners, circa 1700.
Mentmore, Volume I, 8 called Les Douse Mois de Annee
The history of Les Mois Lucas is fully described in Fenaille-statf general des tapestries de la manufacture des Gobelins.
The first set woven at the Gobelins was commissioned by Colbert from the Brussels set of Lucas Months belonging to the Crown and is recorded in 1683 ‘Une texture, fabrique des Gobelins, represent ant les Douze Mois, copies de celled des Douze Mois de la Couronne’. The original Royal set was subsequently burnt in 1797 for its content of gold and silver thread.
Although the Lucas Months were subsequently woven many times at the Gobelins in various borders, the Mentored set carries the first border design. After the Colbert set, a second set was woven for the King in 1690, five of them by Dominique de la Croix. There were two subsequent weavings of which no details are recorded and a fifth weaving for the Crown by Michel Souet in 1712-14. It would seem probable that the Mentored set is one of the unrecorded weavings.
AQUARIUS (January) In the foreground festive couples gather to welcome the New Year, the men bearing flaming torches, in the background seated beneath a canopy, the two-headed divinity Janus symbolizing the passing of the old year and the advent of the new, holding a serpent with its tail in its mouth (Eternity), beside him a seated figure of a woman with a horn of plenty (the New Year), to the right musicians and a jester, l6in. high by wide (350cm. by 330cm.) with the weaver’s mark D. L. CROIX.
In some versions a sleeping woman (the Old Year) is placed to the left of Janus .
PISCES (February) An interior scene with a couple on the right playing backgammon before a blazing fire and in the left foreground another couple playing cards, a mother and child standing beyond them in an open doorway, through which is seen a procession of satyrs carrying a Utter bearing an old man (Winter), 11ft. 6in. high by 10ft. 6in. wide (350cm. by 320cm.) with the weaver’s mark D. L. CROIX.
The composition of this tapestry is in reverse to that described and illustrated in Finale, who also notes that in later 18th Century weavings the procession of satyrs is replaced by a party of woodcutters.
ARIES (March) The lady of the manor with her small son watching gardeners tending a formal garden, her husband approaching through a lych-gate with the chateau beyond, to the right fishermen in a stream unloading their catch into a basket with laborers tending the fields beyond, l6in. high by wide (350cm. by 343cm.) with the weaver’s mark D. L. CROIX
Gobel, Wandteppiche, illustrates a later weaving of this composition in reverse.
TAURUS (April) In the foreground a party of richly dressed young ladies, two gathering flowers, another playing a lute and another a dulcimer in accompaniment to a singer, on the right shepherds and their flock and beyond them a river encircling a mansion with a boat being poled across, l6in. high by 8in. wide (350cm. by 325cm.) with the weaver’s mark of D. L. CROIX.
Finale describes this composition in reverse but illustrates, 350 a similar but larger panel.
GEMINI (May) A village archery contest, the lord of the manor and his lady approaching from the left on horseback, in the foreground a man seated on a drum and a boy with arrows running towards him while an archer beyond him prepares his bow, in the background the villagers gather round the target pole in preparation for the contest, l6in. high by wide (350cm. by 360cm.) with the weaver’s mark D. LACROIX.
CANCER (June) A sheep shearing scene, on the left the farmer and his wife bringing refreshments to the sheepshearers working in the fields, in the background wagons laden with wool returning to the farm, l6in. high by wide (350cm. by 360cm.) with the weaver’s mark D. L. F. for Jean de la Fraye.
LEO {July) A lord and lady on horseback, the man with a lure and the woman with a falcon on her wrist, accompanied by an esquire on foot with other hunt servants following, in the background children bathing in a stream and haymakers working in the fields beyond, l6in. high by l8in. wide (350cm. by 355cm.) with the weaver’s mark M. SOUET.
Gobel-Wandteppiche, Part 11, Volume 11, an almost identical panel by Souet but with portrait medallions replacing the displayed eagles in the top corners.
VIRGO (August) A harvesting scene, in the foreground in the shade of a tree laborers receiving their wages which a steward records in a ledger, in the background harvesters working in the fields and heavily laden hay wanes returning to the farm, l6in. high by 12ft. 2in. wide (350cm. by 370cm.) with the weaver’s mark of D. L. CROIX.
LIBRA (September) A stag hunting scene, in the foreground the lord of the manor and two ladies on horseback and hunt servants on foot, watching the stag being encircled by the hunt in the moat of the chateau beyond, l6in. high by 6in. wide (350cm. by 320cm.) no weaver’s mark.
SCORPIO (October) A grape harvesting scene, in the foreground the seigneur and his lady tasting the new vintage, beyond them grapes being tipped into the tub and grape pressers treading them, in the distance a ring of peasants dancing, l6in. high by 4in. wide (350cm. by 315cm.) with the weaver’s mark of D. L. CROIX.
SAGITTARIUS Plaguing and sowing, in the foreground farm laborers with sacks of seed, in the background farm buildings, a wagon and a man plowing, a village beyond, l6in. high by lift, wide (350cm. by 335cm.) with the weaver’s mark D.L.C. for de la Croix.
CAPRICORN (December) An ice skating scene, in the foreground the lord and lady of the manor and other figures, with skaters on the frozen moat of the chateau, to the left a building on fire, l6in. high by 12ft. wide (350cm. by 366cm.) with the weaver’s mark D. L. CROIX.
LES MOIS LUCAS. A set of four Gobelins Tapestries, probably after Lucas van Ley den, the four-sided ivory borders with red and blue arabesques and the top and bottom borders centered by flying children holding a wreath over a bust and the side borders with further naked figures and ending in caryatides figures on soles, early 18th Century.
See footnote to the previous set of Lucas Months. Although inspired by the original Brussels set these tapestries vary somewhat from the previous set particularly in the background detail.
An ice skating scene with the lord and lady of the manor in the foreground, with skaters on the frozen moat of the chateau beyond, to the right a building on fire, 10ft. 6in. high by 8ft. wide (320cm. by 240cm.).
FEBRUARY. An interior scene with a couple playing backgammon before a blazing fire and another couple playing cards, through the open doorway is seen a procession of satyrs carrying a litter bearing an old man,. 6in. high by 9ft. 6in. wide (320cm. by 290cm.).
A sheep shearing scene, on the right a party of sheep shearers at work and on the left the lord and lady of the manor, in the background a group of figures dancing to the music of a bagpiper, 6in. high by wide (320cm. by 306cm.).
The figure of the farmer and his wife are replaced in this tapestry by those of the seigneur and his wife and the background design is generally less detailed.
A Falconry scene with a lord and lady on horseback accompanied by hunt servants on foot, the background with children bathing and harvesters working in the fields, 6in. high by l2in. wide (320cm. by 340cm.).
In the meantime you can easily buy cheap plavix online from the best pharmacy.
BACCHANALIAN CHILDREN. A MORTLAKE TAPESTRY, on the right four naked children with attributes of the seasons dancing before a stone plinth with two other children seated upon it and in the foreground another with three sporting dogs; to the left a further group of children representing the seasons with two winged putty lighting a torch at the Altar of Plenty, enclosed by a four-sided frame-pattern border, 9ft. high by 24ft. wide overall (274cm. by 732cm.) with the Mort lake shield mark, late 17th Century, probably originally two panels now joined together by a painted canvas strip and with another similar strip to the left.