Marc-Antoine - Lot 35

Marc-Antoine Tapestry panel from the ateliers de la Marche (Aubusson). Part of a larger composition: The War Tributes offered by Antony to Cleopatra from the History of Cleopatra hanging. Model by Isaac Moillon (1614-1673) 17th century, before 1650. H. 2.29 x W. 1.44 m H. 7ft 6 x W. 4ft 9 Reyniès (2006, op. cit. p. 11 and 12) explains the reasons for attributing this hanging to Isaac Moillon, an attribution that had not been retained when Reyniès and Lavessière published their monograph on the painter in 2005. Iconography: After Caesar's death, Antony (83-30 BC), together with Lepidus and Octavian (later Emperor Augustus), formed the second triumvirate. After the battle of Philippi, the triumvirate that defeated Caesar's assassins divided up the Roman Empire. Antony was given the East. In Tarsus, he met Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Passion would unite them until death. Related tapestries : The tapestry Les Tributs de guerre offert par Antoine à Cléopâtre reproduced in the Nice Exhibition catalog (no. 3, p. 24 and 25) was part of the Swedish royal collections. The Palais Lascaris later acquired the same piece. The kneeling servant on the floor is white on the two whole pieces cited and on a piece sold at auction on December 14, 2003, whereas on the present panel he is black. Material and condition: Woven in wool and silk (warp in wool, weft in wool and silk), the panel is in fine condition and has retained its fresh colors. Of particular note are the figures' complexions, which have retained their original hue; the yellow color of Antoine's drapery is also well preserved. Provenance : - Private collection Bibliography - Nicole de Reyniès, 2006, Découverte d'une tenture française - L'Histoire de Cléopâtre, exhibition catalog, Nice, Palais Lascaris, 1.07 to 2.10.2006. - Nicole de Reyniès and Sylvain Laveissière, Issaac Moillon 1614 - 1673, Un peintre du roi à Aubusson - Monographie et catalog édités à l'occasion de l'Exposition éponyme à Aubusson du 11.06 au 12.09.2005.