A Gobelins Biblical tapestry panel, depicting Moses Trampling on Pharaoh's Crown from the Series of the Story of Moses, after a design by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) first quarter 18th century

Quinn's Auction Galleries, Falls Church, Virginia, June 9, 2012, lot 100

Reduced. New lining with velcro. Well done restoration and reweaving throughout, including areas of drapery on central figure. Approximately 14 inch patch bottom left side near edge and repaired cut through left thigh of Moses. Very minor open warps. Strong, bold colors, beautiful quality and ready to hang.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

RELATED LITERATURE
Maurice Fenaille, Etat General des Tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins, Paris, 1903, pp.  186-199
Katharina Krause, “’Die Histoire de Moïse’ des Nicolas Poussin”, Münchner Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst, 56, 2005, pp. 139-166, fig. 9
Pascal-François Bertrand, “Tapestry Production at the Gobelins during the Reign of Louis XIV, 1661-1715”, Tapestry in the Baroque, Threads of Splendor, Thomas P. Campbell, ed., New York, New Haven, and London, 2007, pp. 353-354
Pascal-François Bertrand, "A Question of Scale: Was it Necessary to Weave Poussin's Paintings?," Tapestry in the Baroque, New Aspects of Productions and Patronage, Thomas P. Campbell and Elizabeth A.H. Cleland, eds., New York, 2010, pp. 84-101

The present weaving comes from a Story of Moses series which comprised ten designs, eight of which were after paintings by Poussin, and two after paintings by Le Brun.

The painting by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) upon which the design for this subject was based was commissioned ,with a pendant picture of Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh, by the Roman cardinal and patron of the arts Camillo Massimo. Poussin completed the commission between 1645 and 1648. Both paintings were sold to King Louis XIV on August 17, 1683 for 2,800 livres. They were placed in the petit appartement du roi at Versailles, and are now in the collection of the Louvre.

The present subject was included in all six weavings of this series by the Gobelins factory which produced them between 1683 and 1723. Examples of Moses Trampling on the Crown of Pharaoh from the first and second weavings, woven by the workshops of Jean Jans the Younger and Jean Lefebvre respectively, both incorporating gilt metal-wrapped thread, are in the collection of the Mobilier National in Paris (inv. nos. GMTT 32/3 and 33/3; Bertrand, op. cit., 2010, figs. 7 and 10). Another, probably from the third weaving, made by the workshop of Jean de la Croix, also with gilt metal-wrapped thread, and reversed from the earlier weavings, is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. T.150-1965).

Paul Fréart de Chantelou (1609-1694), a patron of Poussin, encouraged the weaving of a set of tapestries based on the artist’s paintings, writing in particular to Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) on September 15, 1665 to suggest that the newly-formed Gobelins workshop produce a series based on Poussin’s Old Testament paintings. It was not until after Poussin’s death, when Francois Michel Le Tellier (1641-1691), marquis de Louvois, came into control of the French state-run manufactories in 1683, that the idea was revived. Under Le Tellier's direction, and in particular after the death in 1690 of Charles Le Brun, the long-time First Painter to the King, the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins and its artistic program were revitalized by new and innovative source material, including relatively small paintings not originally intended to be transformed into cartoons, such as Poussin’s Story of Moses pictures.