Queen Artemisia - Lot 34

Queen Artemisia Tapestry from the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson City mark: AB with a fleur-de-lys in the lower braid, folded over 17th century, circa 1670-80 H. 2.75 x W. 4.55 m H. 9ft x W. 14ft 11 ½ Tapestry forming part of the Illustrious Women of Antiquity hanging, which included six tapestries: Queen Artemisia, Porcia, Lucretia, Roxane, Julia, Cleopatra Models attributed to Charles Poerson (1609-1667) Iconography : Artemisia, Queen of Halicarnassus, organized a sumptuous funeral for her beloved husband, Mausoleus, and built him a tomb that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, hence the origin of the word mausoleum. As she faced great difficulties as regent, her son being still too young to become king, she gave herself courage by drinking a beverage made from a liquor in which her husband's ashes were mixed; it is this scene of posthumous conjugal love that is depicted on the present tapestry. Materials and condition: Woven with a wool warp and wool weft, silk, with a little precious metal (Artemisia's necklace and a braid from the dress), the tapestry has preserved beautiful colors, but shows wear and accidents. Provenance : - French private collection Bibliographical reference : Nicole de Reynies, 1996, in catalog of the exhibition Lisses et délices, Chefs d'œuvre de la tapisserie de Henri IV à Louis XIV, Château de Chambord, this tapestry is reproduced on p. 20.