Tapestry from the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson... Lot 383

Tapestry from the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson (France), mid-18th century. After a cartoon by Jean-Baptiste PILLEMENT (1728-1808) Technical characteristics : Wool and silk. Dimensions : Height : 290cm ; Width : 490cm. (Very good condition) (Minor wear and restoration) The subject of this panel's register is the allure of chinoiserie. At the time, chinoiserie themes were often interpreted in workshops in France and Flanders. Indeed, this type of tapestry panel was highly prized in salons. Here, the attributes of Diana, the Huntress Goddess (with red drapery, bow and quiver of arrows), and two dogs confronting a wild boar suggest that this panel was intended for the residence of a venerable "pig" hunter. A beautiful border depicting a frame with brightly-colored flowers enhances the tapestry. Characteristics of J-B PILLEMENT's style: He was a charming decorator, and his work is a precious document of 18th-century art. In 1767, Leviez, who had collected the plates engraved after Pillement, published them under the following title: Oeuvres de Jean Pillement peintre et dessinateur célèbre, composées de deux cents pièces dont une partie gravée par lui-même à l'eau-forte : les autres par Carnot, Ravenet, Masson, Wallet et autres habiles graveurs. The first part contains one hundred and thirty Chinese subjects, figures and ornaments, as well as various flowers. The remaining seventy are composed of pretty landscapes and seascapes decorated with figures and animals, the elements, the seasons, the hours of the day and other very pleasing subjects. This work includes mainly decorative elements, natural flowers, ideal flowers and fantasy flowers in the Chinese taste, typical of the Silk and Indian Manufactures. Pillement personally produced some charming etchings. Pillement loved brilliant colors and contrasts of light and shadow, and his paintings had the effect of illuminated theatrical sets, a very fashionable genre in London.