Depicting the Musicians from the series, with musicians flanked by floral urns under a canopy surmounted by plumes, trophies, and garlands, within a trompe l'oeil border of figures, strapwork, flowers, and foliage
119 in. (302.3 cm.) high, 81 in. (206 cm.) wide

For additional examples of this design:
A Feulner, Stiftung Sammlung Schloss Rohoncz, vol. III, Plastik und Kunsthandwerk, Lugano-Castagnola, 1941, p. 177, no. 594, pl. 79.
E. Standen, European Post-Medieval Tapestries and Related Hangings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985, vol. II, cat. 64, p. 447.

Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie's Inc

Brought to you by

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

Lot Essay

This tapestry forms part of the series known as the Grotesques, usually consisting of six tapestries including three horizontal panels, The Animal Tamers, The Camel and The Elephant, and three vertical panels, Offering to Bacchus, Offering to Pan and The Musicians. Though the design is attributed to Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer, it is likely that he based the set on sketches by Jean Bérain (hence the series' 19th century name Grotesques de Bérain), who in fact designed the borders of a set made for the Swedish Chancellor Carl Piper. His sketches for the main subjects could, however, only have served as inspiration to Monnoyer as Bérain's designs are in general much heavier, darker and physically much more illogical than the patterns of this tapestry series. Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer is France's best-known flower painter of the 17th century but was versatile and also painted history, still-life, and portrait paintings. Although he is known to have collaborated on the creation of many cartoons for Gobelins and Beauvais tapestries, the Grotesques series is the only series attributed most entirely to him.