18th Century French Aubusson Courting Tapestry Gouache on Paper in Gilt Frame

$2,600

About

Decorate a living room wall or study with this large and colorful, antique Aubusson drawing cartoon. Created in the city of Aubusson, France circa 1760 and is set in a gilt frame, the elegant gouache on paper is decorated with a hand painted medallion with a courting scene and embellished with floral and leaf motifs. The wall hanging painting is further protected with glass; it is in excellent condition commensurate with age and use, and adorns rich, vibrant colors in a pale green, yellow and pink palette.
Tapestry cartoons are the life-size models from which tapestries are woven. Painted in oil on canvas or gouache on paper, these paintings gave life to the smallest cushion to the largest of wall hangings. The wool and silks were dyed to match the painting, and the weaver then copied it. Working with the cartoon under the warp threads of the loom, at a rate of approximately two square meters per month, per worker, the final tapestry slowly appeared. The quality of the finished tapestry was largely dependent on the artistry of the cartoon painter combined with the skill of the weaver.
The earliest cartoon painters were usually local artists designing for the local manufacturers. Cartoons could be simple full size line drawings, where the artistry of the weaver was left to fill in the colors, or full size, full color paintings, where the weaver copied exactly what was before him. Often different painters specialized in landscapes, flowers, animals or figurative subjects. Several painters could have been employed on a single cartoon. The cartoon painter’s job was to create a cartoon, from what might have been a great painting, for the weavers to work on. However, a famous painting might be entrusted to a master weaver.
The earliest center for the weaving of tapestries in France, can be traced back to 1457 in a small town situated on the banks of the river Creuse, Aubusson is now associated the world over for its tapestries.
In 1665 Louis XIV gave the title “Manufacture Royale d’Aubusson” to the various manufacturers working in the town of Aubusson.
Measures: 46″ W x 24.5″ H.

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