[stag_toggle style=”normal” title=”Piece details” state=”closed”]Tapestry
"Fruit picking"
Aubusson Workshop, France
tapestry; basse – lisse; wool
2/2 18th century
after the cartoons of the French painter François Boucher
390 x 180 cm[/stag_toggle]
Tapestry is defined as a fabric made of wool, wool with silk, silk with gold or silver threads, with polychrome decoration, made on a vertical (haute-lisse) or horizontal (basse-lisse) loom. The decorative motifs are made up of the warp threads that completely cover, by their crossing, the warp threads. The surface of the tapestry is not smooth: each warp thread produces, in the narrow depth that separates it from the neighboring thread, a gray shadow (striation), thus creating a value of the color. The master tapestryist reproduces in the fabric the cartoon made by the painter, but has great freedom in the treatment of the drawing and in the nuance of the colors (from 6-20 tones it reached, in the 19th century, about 15,000). The working technique is perfected by using the tilting loom instead of the fixed one - an innovation of the Frenchman Jacques de Vaucanson (1709-1782). A worker can weave an average of 4-5 cm² of tapestry per day and specializes in the execution of either figures, birds, landscapes, etc. According to the theme represented, the tapestries are divided into: heraldic, historical and tapestries representing landscapes (greens and orangery).
French tapestry manufacture Aubusson It began its activity at the beginning of the 16th century, among its loyal customers was Margaret of Valois (Queen Margot), the first wife of King Henry IV of France. In 1665, at the urging of Jean Baptiste Colbert (Minister of Finance), King Louis XIV granted it the status of Royal Manufacture. The workshop would also prosper during the reign of King Louis XV, producing mainly "greens", but also compositions after the cartoons of the painters Jean - Baptiste Oudrey, Nicolas Lancret and François Boucher, after the pastoral scenes of Jean Baptiste Huet, or copies after the tapestries of Beauvais and Gobelins.
The Aubusson manufactory also contributed to the founding of other tapestry workshops, such as those in Limoges, patronized by Bishop François de Lafayette, and in Berlin, founded on the initiative of the Elector of Brandenburg. The new bourgeoisie placed numerous orders for furniture or draperies. The great innovation of the first half of the 18th century was that of the “alentours” (“with decorative border”) tapestries.
The French Revolution marked the beginning of a period of decline in the manufacture, whose recovery would only be felt at the beginning of the 20th century. Renowned artists translated their cartoons at Aubusson workshops, such as Jean Lurçat, Marcel Gromaire, Fernand Léger, Émile Gilioli and Jacques Lagrange.
The French architect Le Corbusier believed that "The tapestry should in no way serve as a covering for a chest or sideboard, neither in terms of its size nor in terms of its placement. It is not a large or small painting. The tapestry should offer itself to the eye according to human nature." That is, it should be appreciated as more than a work of fine art, it should be a true joy for the viewer's taste and spirit.
The object of the month for August is part of the valuable tapestry suite.Fruit picking/Children's games." The set of seven works from the collection of King Carol I was executed around the 1750s, in the Aubusson workshops, after the cartoons of the French painter François Boucher.
painter Francois Boucher (1703-1770), a representative of the Rococo style, had an astonishing professional rise. Coming from a modest social background, the artist managed to make an extraordinary career: he worked for King Louis XV, for the Marquise de Pompadour, for the royal manufactories, for the royal courts of other countries, for private collectors and exhibited at the Paris Salon, where his paintings were received with great enthusiasm by the public and critics of the time. It is assumed that he received his first drawing lessons from his father.
On August 28, 1723, the artist, only twenty years old, won first prize at the Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Rome. At 28, he definitively entered the artistic elite, being accepted into the Royal Academy of Art.
At the beginning of 1731 he devoted himself to engraving and drawing, two passions to which he would remain faithful throughout his life. But above all, Boucher painted. In 1732, at the request of the lawyer Derbais, he created several large-format compositions, including his first dated painting – Venus and Vulcan. These canvases, exhibited in the buyer's residence, brought the artist a good reputation. In the 30s he will paint mainly mythological themes, hunting, landscapes and idyllic genre scenes, at the same time, he will design tapestries, theatrical sets and medallions with rural or idyllic scenes painted on porcelain figurines.
On January 30, 1734, he presented the painting to the jury Rinaldo and Armida, and was accepted into the Academy as a painter of historical scenes, considered at the time the noblest of painting genres. In the years that followed, he would gradually rise through the ranks of this institution. He would become professor, vice-rector, rector, and finally, at the age of 62, director of the Academy and the first painter of the Royal Court.
At the urging of the painter Jean-Baptiste Oudry, François Boucher painted several tapestry projects. Between 1735 and 1745, at the Beauvais workshops, three cycles were created based on the artist's projects: one entitled Italian games, the second is based on Chinese models, and the third is inspired by the story of Psyché.
He permanently exhibited his works at the annual exhibition of painters at the Paris Salon and remained faithful to this artistic event throughout his life, always presenting new works. He was also the first painter who, in addition to his paintings, also presented his drawings and engravings at the Salon, a fact that contributed to increasing the prestige of these artistic genres.
The tapestry from the cycle "Fruit picking", made of wool, in the basse-lisse technique, is part, along with the other pieces, of the wall decoration of the Hall of Honor of Peleș Castle. The composition presents an allegorical scene with seven naked children (putti), picking grapes from trees tied by a vine arch, some of them holding baskets in their hands. Three of the children are climbing the tree, and another one is carrying a basket full of grapes on his head.
Mythological themes are predominantly addressed both in painting and in the making of tapestries, one of them being the one dedicated to Dionysus. In Greek mythology, Dionysus (Dionysus) is the god of wine and the vine, also called Bacchus by the Romans. He is one of the most important known divinities and whose cult was the subject of many literary and artistic epics. At the celebrations organized in his honor, called Dionysia, everyone participates, being celebrated with songs and dances, accompanied by a procession made up of bacchantes, sileni, satyrs, etc.
The Grape Harvest is a "hymn" dedicated to wine, beauty and love, these putti, who play casually, overflowing with life, invite optimism and joy. The scene is animated by the color in multiple shades of green, the movement of the characters' bodies and the generous theme of the work. The entire scene is framed by a large decorative border ("alentours"), representing a floral and vegetal garland, as well as the large ribbon motif, in green, yellow and brown colors.