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327
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London tapestry, from a Soho workshop, early 17th century.
See original version (French)
327
-
London tapestry, from a Soho workshop, early 17th century.
See original version (French)
Estimate €5,000 - €7,000
Voluntary lot
Description
London tapestry, from a Soho workshop, early 17th century.
Technical details: Wool and silk, 7 to 8 warp threads per cm.
Dimensions: Height: 205 cm; Width: 140 cm.
Part of a series of tapestries depicting the production of wine and the pleasures associated with it. This panel forms part of a series identical to that held in the collections of the Toms Pauli Foundation in Lausanne. This series was purchased from Léonard Chabaneix around 1700, based on designs similar to the series preserved at Boughton House (1660–1680).
In England, at the end of the 17th century, several very different tapestries were referred to under the title ‘Bacchanalia’. In fact, this title was first mentioned in invoices drawn up in 1700 and 1704 for the extension of a set of tapestries belonging to Ralph Montagu, which is still preserved at Boughton House (Northamptonshire).
The depiction of children in mythological scenes was highly popular at that time. We do not know who the artist of this cartoon is. We can see Bacchus, depicted as a child, riding a goat – his guardian animal – accompanied by child musicians forming a Bacchanalian procession in honour of Bacchus. Generally, in tapestry sets on this subject, only one panel depicted Bacchus. Here, therefore, we have the central panel. The ovule-and-dart borders (pearls and rods) are identical to those in the series of panels and tapestries held in the Toms Collection in Lausanne.
Although this rough sketch is too common to provide a clue as to the place or date of manufacture, it is worth noting that the three panels in the Toms Collection are among the finest English examples of this tapestry. Furthermore, the Toms collection does not include the panel presented here. It should be noted that the leg-wraps, the goat’s harness and the similar dimensions are identical to those of the Lausanne panels, This series was purchased from Léonard Chabaneix in 1700. The design was copied from a tapestry similar to that at Boughton House, circa 1660–1680. Wool and silk, 7 to 8 warp threads per cm.
Little is known about Léonard Chabaneix and even less about his work as a supplier. Although his name does not appear on any known piece, we do know that his family originated from Aubusson. Following the death of Queen Mary in 1696, when the population was required to declare their loyalty to King William III, who had reigned alongside her, Léonard Chabaneix’s signature appeared on the declaration signed by the residents of Spitafields Hamlet, the silk weavers’ quarter in east London. It is not even known where he lived or practised his trade as a tapestry maker or merchant in 1700.
Furthermore, the name of his son John (1676–1743) appears on tapestries; he set up shop in 1702 on the premises of a weaving workshop in Piccadilly.
By the term ‘Bacchanalia’, the Romans meant the whole range of religious festivals associated with the cult of Bacchus. These festivals are famously remembered in Roman history because of their ban in 186 BC. A very detailed account provided by Livy enables us to understand precisely the history of the cult of Bacchus in Rome and the circumstances that led to its prohibition.
A Greek of lowly status, a sort of itinerant priest and soothsayer, had introduced the religious practices of the cult of Bacchus (Dionysus) into Etruria. These festivals were held at night; both men and women were admitted without distinction. This promiscuity, combined with Bacchic frenzy, had given rise to every conceivable excess of debauchery. From the same source, therefore, sprang false testimony, forged wills, slanderous accusations, and even poisonings and the mysterious disappearances of men and women. These mysteries, which spread from Etruria to Rome, quickly found a great many followers, and there, above all, became a breeding ground for every form of debauchery and crime.
It was by chance—such was the secrecy maintained by the initiates—that the authorities were led to discover these practices. A freedwoman, Hispala Fecenia, had revealed to her lover—just as he was preparing to be initiated himself into the mysteries of Bacchus—all the depravities and crimes that this cult engendered. The young man, terrified, alerted Sp. Postumius, consul in 186 BC. Postumius ordered an investigation, and the young man brought the freedwoman before him, despite her terror of the god’s wrath and the vengeance of the initiates.
The sacred grove of Simila or Stimula was the centre of the Bacchanalia. Originally, only women were admitted there; initiations were then held by day only three times a year; the women served as priestesses in turn. But a woman from Campania, Paculla Annia, had changed everything during her priesthood: she had admitted men, then established the celebration of the mysteries at night, and increased the number of days set aside for initiations to five a month instead of three a year.
Armed with this revelation, the Consul Postumius reported the matter to the Senate, which immediately took the most stringent measures, as though it were a matter of national peril: the consuls were instructed to arrest the ministers of this cult, whether men or women; any such gathering was prohibited. Postumius then brought this matter to the attention of the people. He revealed
‘What are these mysteries, recognised by the clang of cymbals and the nocturnal howls that resound throughout the city? ”
He concluded by reading out the security measures adopted by the Senate and by offering rewards to informants. The number of initiates implicated in the prosecutions exceeded 7,000, with women forming the majority. The plebeians M. and C. Atinius, the Fulisque L. Opiternius, and the Campanian Minius Cerrinius were denounced as the high priests of the cult, and as the principal perpetrators of the crimes and infamies. Imprisonment and, above all, the death penalty were the punishments meted out to the initiates, both men and women. Following a ruthless crackdown, the Senate issued a senate decree expressly prohibiting the celebration of the Bacchanalia in Rome or in Italy in future.
Livy simply summarised the senate decree against the Bacchanalia in his account.
The official text reads:
‘It is forbidden to anyone [...] to celebrate the Bacchanalia. If there are any who feel obliged to celebrate the Bacchanalia, they shall come to Rome, make their declaration to the city praetor and [...] our Senate shall decide, provided that at least one hundred senators are present at the deliberation. And, in that case, no gathering for a sacrifice shall comprise more than five people in total [...]. Anyone contravening the above provisions shall be liable to the death penalty... ’
The severe crackdown of the year 186 and the senate decree banning the Bacchanalia throughout the empire did not prevent the cult of Bacchus from continuing to attract followers; the Senate, however, ensured that the law was observed. In 181, a man was tasked with reporting on the Bacchanalia in Apulia. However, the Senate did not intend to ban the cult of the god, but merely the ceremonies and mysteries that had given rise to so many scandals.
Sources: The Toms Collection. Tapestries from the 15th to the 19th century; G Delmarcel; N de Reyniès; W Hefford. Zurich 2010.
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See original version (French)
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