Scenes from the Story of Achilles - Lot 36

Scenes from the Story of Achilles Tapestry from the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson Part of the History of Achilles hanging After Isaac Moillon (1614-1673), painter to King Louis XIV 17th century, circa 1670 H. 2.62 x W. 3.90 m H. 8ft 7 x W. 12ft 10 Description and Iconography: In the center of the composition, two beautiful young women capture our attention. Carrying baskets and wreaths of flowers, they give us the impression that they are about to celebrate a festival or pay homage to a god or goddess. However, on either side of these young women, the surroundings need to be deciphered: the scene takes place on location at the gates of Troy. The artist has chosen to combine several episodes in a single painting. In the background, on the right, the death of Achilles: the hero, wounded in the heel, his weak spot, by an arrow fired by Paris, guided by Apollo, is falling. In the background, on the left, Polyxena, Priam's daughter and Achilles' fiancée, is bent over Achilles' tomb, on which the Greeks intend to sacrifice her. In the background, we can see the procession of animals that will be sacrificed in honor of the hero, when they should have been sacrificed in honor of the young couple. The betrothal of Achilles and Polyxena was in fact a trap into which Achilles fell, and his manna demands vengeance. Note that the viewer's gaze always returns to the group of young women, whose presence illuminates one of the many tragic episodes of the Trojan War. (For iconography, see Nicole de Reyniès, op. cit, p. 178, with interesting literary sources). Related tapestries : The Hospices de Beaune has an identical tapestry, reproduced in Reyniès (op. cit. p. 179). Material and condition: The tapestry is woven in wool and silk (wool warp, wool and silk weft), and is in a good state of preservation, but the border is missing. Provenance: - Sale in Paris, Auction Art - 24.04.13 Bibliographical references: - Nicole de Reyniès, Sylvain Laveissière, 2005, catalog of the Exhibition Isaac Moillon, un peintre du Roi à Aubusson, Musée Départemental de la Tapisserie, Aubusson (June 11 - September 12, 2005).