An 18th-Century French Antique Aubusson Tapestry Possibly Depicting An Allegory Of Carnal Love - A Man Tied To A Tree by Eros

An antique Aubusson tapestry of French origin dating back to the 18th-Century.

Woven in wool. Understood to depict a man tied to a tree by Eros - "an allegory of carnal love," influenced by the engraving by Christofano Robetta, circa 1500.

History of Aubusson Tapestry 

Aubusson tapestry is tapestry manufactured at Aubusson, in the upper valley of the Creuse in central France. The term often covers similar products made in the nearby town of Felletin, whose products are often treated as "Aubusson". The industry probably developed soon after 1300 with looms in family workshops, perhaps already run by the Flemish who were noted in documents from the 16th century.

Felletin is identified as the source of the Aubusson tapestries in the inventory of Charlotte of Albret, Duchess of Valentinois and widow of Cesare Borgia (1514). The workshops were given a royal charter in 1665, but came into their own in the later 18th century, with designs by François Boucher, Jean-Baptiste Oudry and Jean-Baptiste Huet, many of pastoral rococo subjects. Typically, Aubusson tapestries depended on engravings as a design source, or scale drawings from which the low-warp tapestry-weavers worked. As with Flemish and Parisian tapestries of the same time, figures were set against a conventional background of verdure, stylized foliage and vignettes of plants on which birds perch and from which issue glimpses of towers and towns.

In the 19th century reproductions of pieces from the previous century, and furniture covers, as well as floral tapestry carpets, kept the industry viable, and the town took much of the post-World War II revival in tapestry weaving. In fact the leading designer Jean Lurçat had moved there in September 1939, with Marcel Gromaire and Pierre Dubreuil.

Le Bouquet (1951) by Marc Saint-Saens is among the best and most representative French tapestries of the fifties. It is a tribute to Saint-Saens’s predilection for scenes from nature and rustic life.

The museum of the Cité internationale de la tapisserie in Aubusson which opened in 2016 has a large collection of Aubusson tapestries.

Provenance - Ex-private collection, Spain.

Condition - The colours remain quite vibrant and the tapestry displays well. The tapestry is lined verso. The top right corner has been slightly torn and restitched historically. This does not detract overall. A further detailed condition report is available upon request.

Size - Width 165 cm x Height 140 cm (65" x 55")