Child gardeners - Lot 25

Child gardeners Entrefenêtre du Printemps Tapestry from the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins Part of the Children Gardeners hanging Designed by Charles Lebrun (1619-1690), first painter to the King and first director of the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins. H. 3.15 x W. 2.07 m H. 10ft 4 x W. 6ft 9 ½ The Children Gardeners hanging deals with the theme of the four seasons through a group of children busy in a garden. Alongside hangings to the glory of the King, such as the Histoire d'Alexandre hanging or the Histoire du Roi hanging, or hangings on religious themes (Histoire de Moïse), this is the only Louis XIV-period hanging to deal with an intimate subject, that of the children the King loved so much. The beautiful border of this tapestry can be found in four tapestries by the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins with mythological subjects, which were part of the tapestries in Louis XIV's collection, held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The border is described in the inventory of Louis XIV tapestries as "La bordure fond aurore à rinceaux et vases de fleurs et fruits, ayant au milieu du haut deux tourterelles et deux petits chiens par en bas..." see Vittet 2010, p. 204, who also states, on p. 202: "It is not known who designed this exceptional border, which appears never to have been rewoven for private use". Material and condition: Finely woven in wool and silk: wool warp (8 warp threads per cm), wool and silk weft. Beautiful condition, very well-preserved colors, magnificent royal border. The brilliant colors of this tapestry recall the art of the dyers at the French Royal Manufactures during the reign of Louis XIV. The brilliance of the yellow silks gives the impression that the tapestry was woven with precious metal threads. References - Maurice Fenaille, 1903, Etat général des tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins depuis son origine jusqu'à nos jours - 1600 - 1900, Tome II, pp. 84-97 - Ebeltje Harkamp-Jonxis, Hillie Smit, 2004, European tapestries in the Rijksmuseum (n° 103 a, b, c, d, p. 338 to 345) - Jean Vittet, Arnauld Brejon de Lavergnée, 2010, La Collection de tapisseries de Louis XIV Provenance : - Private collection, former Georges Chevalier collection