the rectangular field centered by a naturalistically colored and drawn bouquet and with the corners issuing similar flower arrangements on a tête-de-nègre ground within a thin inner guard border of serrated leaves; the wide main border with flower bouquets in baskets along the sides and flowering bouquets at the ends on a tête-de-nègreground, framed by a thin outer guard border of scrolling foliage.
Pile is evenly low down to knotheads throughout. Partially oxidized dark browns and some very minor visible spot foundation found in areas. Scattered reweaves throughout; most elongated rectangles with largest approximately 11 by 1 inches to upper end border. Few small scattered repaired holes; not extensive. Some scattered cashmere repiling, not extensive. All four sides with later applied outer guard stripes now fraying in areas along top right side. Upper end with hanging rings sewn on reverse. Supple handle; fine weave; sound fabric and condition.
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.
Often called Louis XIII carpets because they are the earliest order of Savonnerie production, the present lot and similar carpets were most likely woven between the death of Louis XII in 1643 and the succession of Louis XIV to the throne in 1661. French carpet production officially began with Henri IV granting workshop space in the basement of the Louvre to Pierre Dupont
tapissier ordinaire en tapis de Turquie et façon de Levant, on January 4, 1608, see Pierre Verlet,
The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor: Savonnerie, London, 1982, p.28. As an entrepreneur, Dupont was permitted to employ two apprentices, one of whom was Simon Lourdet. Lourdet mastered the trade and ingratiated himself to the Queen, Marie de Medici, who allowed him to install another workshop in the former soap factory, or
savonnerie, at Chaillot. (The name Savonnerie then became synonymous with French pile woven carpets.) Although Dupont disapproved of this turn of events, he and Lourdet signed a partnership agreement on September 5, 1626 to share the profit and expenses of both workshops, and on April 17, 1627 the Council of State granted them exclusive permission to manufacture carpets, see
ibid., p.33. Carpet production continued at both locations until 1671 when the Dupont family workshops, having outgrown their studios in the Louvre moved to the Savonnerie at Chaillot. Up to this time, both factories produced carpets of similar design, and as no records seem to survive it is impossible to specifically attribute the present carpet and its type to either of the two workshops. The Louvre and Chaillot factories produced carpets on order from the king firstly for his and his family’s use, and secondly as gifts to foreign dignitaries and deserving members of the court. The workshops were conceived by the king to produce carpets in France which would initially imitate and later surpass Oriental carpets, thereby satisfying the demand for pile carpets and concurrently boosting the French economy. The taste for Oriental carpets is reflected in the design format of early Savonneries, such as the present example combined with the European reverence for flowers. Early to mid-seventeenth century Savonnerie carpets commonly share a
tête-de-nègre field filled with meticulously drawn flowers of identifiable species, within a wide border of similar decoration. These earlier carpets reflect the mid-seventeenth century predilection for floral decoration, found in textiles, engravings, jewelry and enamels following in the tradition of Dutch still-life paintings and Gothic
mille-fleurs tapestries, see
ibid., p. 419.
With its dark saturated tête-de-nègre ground and naturalistically executed overall floral motif, the lot offered here is a prime example of a Louis XIV Savonnerie carpet. The wide main border, whose decorative elements are basically identical to those of the field, is framed by very narrow guard borders; a typical trait of early Savonnerie weavings. The guard borders are decorated with scrolling floral and leaf motifs, which were adapted from antique prototypes also used in tapestries. The field and the main borders exhibit a lush composition and floral abundance, drawn with exuberance while retaining attention to details. The field of most Louis XIV Savonnerie examples have clearly delineated centers with floral wreaths serving as medallions. Although the composition is similar, the present lot’s field is highly unusual as its flower arrangement is more organic and less structured and symmetrical. The use of floral ornaments in the decorative arts reached a pinnacle during the reign of Louis XIII and continued until the succession of Louis XIV to the throne. Louis XIV and his designers, namely Charles Le Brun, adopted a grander style, as evidenced shortly into his reign by the carpets ordered for the Galerie d’Apollon and the Grande Galerie of the Louvre. Early Savonnerie weavings were used either on tables as coverlets or on the floor as carpets. It has been suggested, that those intended for tables were often smaller in size and were woven with tassels around the inner guard borders and corners to create a trompe l’oeil effect, see ibid., p. 168. For carpets woven with tassels, see ibid. p. 169 and F.J.B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection, Vol. II, New York, 1966, pp. 492-493. Although smaller in size than other comparable carpets, the present lot is lacking the aforementioned tassel motif and thus it is more likely that it was intended to be used as a floor covering.
