TAPESTRY - DIANE ENTRE LES GÉANTS (part of the... Lot 1

TAPESTRY - DIANE ENTRE LES GÉANTS (part of the hanging of the story of Diana) PARIS, MANUFACTURE DU FAUBOURG SAINT-MARCEL, BEGINNING OF THE XVIIth CENTURY Based on models by Toussaint Dubreuil (circa 1558-1602) Wool and silk Monogrammed H. 339 cm, L. 413 cm The upper border is missing Certificate of Mister Dominique Chevalier The theme of this wool and silk tapestry is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses and is part of the hanging of the Story of Diana. It recounts the episode in which the Giants, Othos and Ephiates, twin sons of Poseidon, try to capture Diana and Hera. The right vertical selvedge bears the monogram of Philippe Maëcht and that of another upholsterer from the Faubourg Saint-Marcel, as yet unidentified (but which does not correspond to that of Jean Taye, an upholsterer frequently associated with Maëcht). The original cartoons of this hanging, comprising eight elements, were probably commissioned by Henry II for Diane de Poitiers to Anet in 1550 from artists of the School of Fontainebleau, notably Jean Cousin le Vieux (1490-1560). The Mobilier National preserves a complete suite made in the workshops of the faubourg Saint-Marcel de Maëcht et Taye, at the beginning of the 17th century, according to the drawings of Toussaint Dubreuil. The tapestry depicting Diana and the Giants was mentioned in the apartment of the Duke of Orleans in Fontainebleau (fig. 1). Crown Assets owned five Drapes of Diana, three of which were gold (only one remains to this day). Two other hangings are reported in the Spanish and Austrian collections. Each one of these drapes has a piece depicting Diane between the Giants.