Article No: 78J / 2894

Origin: France-Gobelins

Period: 18th century

Provenance: Private Collection

Composition: Wool and silk

Dimension: 3.65 L x 2.80 H

LOUIS XIV TAPESTRY Earth, "Four Elements" hanging (fire, air, water, earth).

Royal Gobelins Manufactory after the cartoons of Charles Le Brun (1619-1690).

The Earth is represented here under the features of the two goddesses of nature and fertility, Ceres and Cybele.

Tapestry finely woven in wool and silk, representing the goddess Ceres and Cybele on a chariot holding a sheaf of wheat, flanked on the one hand and a weasel, gardening instruments among a bouquet of natural plants in the foreground, on the other, two elongated lions and a wolf, the border decorated with cartridges and natural flower scrolls.

In 1900, four were listed in the Mobilier National, a copy of "Water" in Florence, another given to the Pope's legate in 1719, at the former royal palace in Naples. In addition to these copies left at the disposal of the monarch,

A similar room was part of Villa la Roche au Bois, Spa, Belgium, the former residence of His Majesty King Leopold III.

The Elements with the Seasons hanging is the first to have been woven at the Gobelins after original cartoons specially made in 1664 by Charles Le Brun (1619-1690), director of the Manufacture des Gobelins and first painter to the King. The borders feature the king's figures inscribed in a military trophy, medallions with spandrels and a motto in a cartouche at the bottom.

Several hangings will be woven in high and low smooth with different borders. Three hangings in high rail and three others in low rail, composed of four elements and four half-windows, will be executed under the administration of Colbert, two others in high rail, consisting only of the four main pieces, made in the workshop of the tower.

The table of the Earth intended for high smooth weaving was painted by Baudouin Yvart (1611-1690), while the low smooth one was painted by Claude Audran, painter of the Academy, died in 1684 and uncle of Claude Audran, painter of ornaments at the Gobelins, died in 1734.

Maurice Fenaille tells us that copies of this hanging were also made in Beauvais, the medallions on the border removed and the motto inscribed in the cartouche replaced by the title of the piece. Another set has a simpler border made of flowers and ribbons.

Comparative bibliography:

Maurice Fenaille, "General state of the tapestries of the Gobelins manufacture from its origin to the present day", 1600-1900, Imprimerie Nationale, Paris, 1923, pp. 51-66.

J. Vittet, A Brejon de Lavergnée, "The collection of Louis XIV tapestries", Editions Faton, Dijon, 2010, pp. 128-133.

Detailed directory of Gobelins Tapestries ... Paris, 1893, p .44 the mark I L F of Jean Le Febvre father, master licker at the Gobelins from 1663 to 1699. H. Göbel;

Wandteppiche II Teil, Die Romanischen Länder Bd I; Leipzig 1928, plate of marks. L. Grivel and M. Fumaroli; Currency for the King's Tapestries, Paris, 1988 J. Guiffrey;

History of Tapestry from the Middle Ages to the present day, Tours, 1886 A. Hullebroek;

Painter of Cartons for Tapestries ... Charles Lebrun, Paris, 1941, p. 38 description of H. Jouin Water

Charles Le Brunet les Arts sous Louis XIV, Paris 1889 J.U. Krauss;

Tapestries of the King in which the Four Elements and the Four Seasons are represented with the accompanying mottos ..., Augsburg, 1687 O. Lessing; Scloss Ansbach Barock und Rococco Dekorationen aus dem XVII Jahründert (room XII Gobelin Zimmer).

Chevalier and P.F. Bertrand, Les Tapisseries d'Aubusson et de Felletin, pp. 67, 68, 71, 88, 181, 192 3, 20

Our house assures you the sale of a tapestry with invoice and approved expertise, well cleaned, in good condition with its fixing system. If this should be necessary, we will tell you what work has been done. All our tapestries can be presented to you at your home in France and neighboring countries before your final decision.