Composition: Wool and silk

Tapestry of Paris, probably Atelier Faubourg Saint-Marcel, cardboard after Simon Vouet - "Renaud et Armide dans les Jardins Enchantés" ("Renaud and Armide in the Enchanted Gardens")

"Renaud and Armide in the Enchanted Gardens."

The Story of Renaud and Armide, taken from the famous epic poem of the Cup, The Delivered Jerusalem (1580), relates the loves of the young Christian knight and the oriental magician. The story was a huge success throughout the 17th century, at a time when taste was evolving towards a literature with sought-after effects. The hanging was woven several times and in several Parisian workshops such as those of the Faubourg Saint-Marcel, the first Gobelins factory, or those of the Louvre. The original suite was to consist of ten pieces retracing the main episodes of the story of the Cup: Armide about to stab Renaud whom she has put to sleep, Armide taking Renaud away in his chariot, the knights Charles and Ubald at the Fountain of Laughter, the knights Charles and Ubald discovering Renaud in Armide's arms, Ubald showing Renaud his image in the diamond shield, Renaud leaving the enchanted island of Armide, Armide, his palace destroyed, leaving the enchanted island, Armide vowing to kill Renaud, Armide having failed and leaving the battlefield, Renaud preventing him from taking his own life. Three drapes by Renaud and Armide, two of which were gold, appeared in the inventory of the Crown's property from 1663-1673.

A tapestry illustrating the present episode, woven in the workshops of the faubourg Saint-Marcel, was sold by Sotheby's London on 29 May 1998, lot 15. Another, also woven in the workshops of the Faubourg Saint-Marcel, is kept at the Château du Haras du Pin, and is illustrated in "Vouet", Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris 1990-1991, exhibition catalogue, p.517, fig 14.

M. Fenaille, Etat Général des Tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins..., Paris, 1923, vol. 1, pp. 319-328.

D. Lavalle, "Simon Vouet et la Tapisserie" in Vouet (exh. cat.), Paris, November 1990-February 1991, p. 500.

Paris, Musée du Louvre