Premium TAJAN
319
-
TAPESTRIES, AUBUSSON, XVIIth CENTURY, AFTER 1664, FROM CARTO…
See original version (French)
319
-
TAPESTRIES, AUBUSSON, XVIIth CENTURY, AFTER 1664, FROM CARTO…
See original version (French)
Estimate €6,000 - €8,000
Voluntary lot
Description
TAPESTRIES, AUBUSSON, XVIIth CENTURY, AFTER 1664, FROM CARTONS BY CHARLES LE BRUN (1660-1661), FOR THE TENTURE
OF THE STORY OF ALEXANDER,
THE BATTLE OF ARBELLES
Wool and silk, with a brown and yellow border, decorated with suns, fleurs de lys, a tribute to Louis XIV and candelabras, wreaths, military trophies, baskets of flowers, eagles holding a thunderbolt in their talons; blue braid. On the back, in one corner an old mark in ink M.P, in another corner C.a and in the middle N° 4
(Reweaving in the blue braid, restorations, good condition, bright colours, ready to hang)
297 x 296 CM - 116,9 x 116,5 IN.
Provenance
Château du Condroz in Belgium
Dominique Chevalier, Pierre Chevalier & Pascal-François Bertrand, Martine Mathias, Les Tapisseries d'Aubusson et de Felletin, Paris, 1988, pp 68 to 74
Masterpieces of Tapestry, Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques, 1996, pp 218 to 227.
Pascal-François Bertrand, Les Tapisseries d'Aubusson et de Felletin, pp. 68 & 73 : " L'Histoire d'Alexandre, executed at the Manufacture royale des Gobelins after paintings by Le Brun, enjoyed particular favour at the Court of Louis XIV because, according to Félibien, the First Painter had skilfully flattered the Sun King by depicting him in the guise of the Greek monarch. The life of Alexander had always fascinated people. Quinte-Curce appears to be the first Latin historian of this prince's life, and his writings were an inexhaustible source from which all subsequent generations drew. The patrons were fascinated by the feats of arms or the chivalrous virtues of the monarch".
Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques, Chefs-d'œuvre de la Tapisserie d'Henri IV à Louis XIV, p. 233: "After conquering Egypt and founding Alexandria, Alexander the Great headed for Mesopotamia, where Darius presented him with a final military challenge that was to lead to the collapse of the Achaemenid Empire. He crushed the Persian army on the plain of Gaugamelles, near Arbelles, in October 331. Le Brun's composition shows Alexander on horseback, sword raised, trying to reach Darius in the midst of the massacre. The defeated Darius prepares to leave his majestic chariot and flee on horseback. ... Le Brun has shown a real concern for fidelity to Quinte-Curce's account. Drawing on various passages, he has borrowed from the Latin author, in particular the eagle hovering over Alexander's head, an omen of victory, "...
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like