The escarpolette - Lot 293

The escarpolette Tapestry from the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson, Last quarter of the 18th century, circa 1770. Woven in wool and silk. 192 x 138.5 cm In Alentours tapestries, a central scene (or sometimes two) is set against a plain or damask-like background, usually decorated with garlands of flowers, medallions and attributes. This tapestry features a medallion motif with an imitation frame, depicting an elegantly dressed young woman balancing on an escarpolette. At her feet, a straw hat, a wicker basket and a shepherd's crook testify to a taste for pastoral scenes that was still strong in the second half of the century. The influence exerted by Jean-Baptiste Huet (1745-1811) at the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson is largely perceptible here, both in the taste for rustic subjects of a gallant nature, and in the adoption of supple, elegant forms. The medallion is surmounted by a trophy with gardening implements, set against a background of ribbons and garlands of flowers. The tapestry has retained some of its color and is borderless. This may be original, as this was the period when borderless tapestries began to be woven for insertion in woodwork frames. It shows wear in the silks, old restorations and accidents.