Aubusson. Last thirds of the 18th century. La Diseuse de bon - Lot 136

Aubusson. Last thirds of the 18th century. La Diseuse de bonne aventure (The fortune-teller) Tapestry woven in wool and silk. In the foreground, a shepherdess, accompanied by a child and her flock, is addressed by a fortune-teller. Wear, old restorations, reduced in height and probably in width H_228 cm L_411 cm Bibliography: P.F. Bertrand, Aubusson tapisseries des Lumières. Splendeurs de la manufacture royale, fournisseur des Lumières, Ed. Snoeck Gent, 2013, p.183-191. Comment: The column and broken capitals at the foot of the palace bear witness to Julliard's Roman sojourn and the taste for the aesthetics of ruins that became widespread in the second half of the 18th century. In addition to the influence of antiquity, Julliard was also influenced by the Nordic painters he had discovered in the studio of his master François Boucher. The presence of the reclining young shepherd in the foreground is striking in its proximity to certain figures by Abraham Bloemaert. Several known weavings, including one in the Hermitage Museum, one in the Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Cologne), one on display at the Charlieu town hall, and a fragment in the Musée Magnin (Dijon). Expert: Mr. Frank Kassapian