A Louis XIV wooven Savonnerie manufacture carpet, vers 1680

A Louis XIV wooven Savonnerie manufacture carpet, vers 1680<br><br>possibly for the Galerie du Bord de l'Eau at the Louvre; (wear, tears, losses and restorations)<br><br>Height. 158 5/8 in, width. max 98 1/4 in<br><br>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Fragment de tapis de la manufacture de la Savonnerie d'&#233;poque Louis XIV, vers 1680<br><br>peut-&#234;tre pour la Galerie du Bord de l'Eau du Palais du Louvre ; (usures, d&#233;chirures, manques et restaurations)<br><br>Haut. max 403 cm, larg. max 250 cm<br><br>Literature<br><br>Verlet Pierre, <i>The Savonnerie: Its History. The Waddesdon Collection</i>, Londres-Fribourg, National Trust, 1982.<br><br>Catalogue note<br><br>When Louis XIV (1638-1715) came to the throne in 1661, he and his chief minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert, decided that the Louvre had to be renovated to show the world the power of the king and the state. In 1664-1666, there was a special commission for thirteen carpets for the Galerie d'Apollon, which served as an initial trial for the particularly grandiose and difficult sequence of ninety-three carpets to follow for the Galerie du Bord de l'Eau (known as the Grande Galerie), in the Palais du Louvre, mainly between 1670 and 1685. Both in terms of execution and design, this series of carpets for the Grande Galerie must be considered one of the most ambitious and important projects of Louis XIV's patronage of the decorative arts. Louis XIV never completed the overall plan for the interior, as he moved the court to Versailles in 1682, but the weaving of this large number of carpets was nevertheless completed. The designer of the project is not specifically mentioned in the Comptes du B&#226;timent du Roi, but as the King's first painter (and director of the Manufacture de la Savonnerie from 1665), Charles Le Brun would have been involved, as well as Louis Le Vau, as the King's first painter. Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) became Superintendent of the King's Buildings in 1664 and called on the talents of the Petit Conseil group of artists and architects, including Le Vau and Le Brun. Verlet has exhaustively recorded the history of the Manufacture de la Savonnerie, including the carpets in the Grande Galerie, with a list, brief description and layout plan for each carpet, as well as the known history of ownership of each piece (Pierre Verlet, The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor: the Savonnerie, 1982). Our fragement may be similar to carpet no. 29 in Verlet's plan, although this cannot be confirmed with certainty due to its incomplete condition.<br><br>The overall project symbolises the political plans and personal aspirations of the Sun King, through the designs of the carpets and their amalgam of diverse themes, which underline the grandeur of the sovereign. The Louvre carpets are lavishly decorated with a combination of royal symbols, including the coats of arms of France and Navarre, intertwined "Ls", fleurs-de-lis, suns, crowns, globes and trophies, as well as natural elements, landscapes, symbols and literary and allegorical figures, alluding to the whole earth coming to life in honour of the king. Despite its diversity, each carpet is part of a coherent overall concept; each piece has a bold classical architectural framework, a large central section, often with allegorical symbolism, such as air, water, earth, fire, balanced by a bas-relief at each end, alternating with landscapes or monochrome allegorical figures distinctly and effectively rendered in the bas-reliefs, with a field of exuberant acanthus leaves and scrolls on a dark brown/black background (fond-brun - which, in the 17th century, was a rich black or dark blue colour), and with a unifying complementary border motif. The alternating bas-reliefs represent twenty-seven aspects of Louis XIV's glory, each identified in the Crown Furniture Inventory.<br><br>Although many of the carpets in the Grande Galerie were dispersed after the Revolution, the Mobilier National still has the largest collection (around forty), while other complete examples, central sections, bas-reliefs and fragments can be found in international museums and private collections. It is unlikely that the carpets were ever laid out in their entirety during the reign of Louis XIV, and it is highly significant that the desired effect was created when twenty-four of the carpets in the Mobilier National were sewn together for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in the Galerie des Glaces on 18 June 1919. Some of the carpets were unfortunately cut up in the 19th century to fit smaller interiors and to follow the contours of rooms and furniture. Others, because of their heavy wear, were cut up to keep only the parts that were still in good condition or to upholster seats. The cut of our fragment seems to indicate that it was used for this purpose, as the cut marks are similar to those used to upholster seats.<br><br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Lorsque Louis XIV (1638-1715) monte sur le tr&#244;ne en 1661, il d&#233;cide avec son principal ministre, Jean Baptiste Colbert, qu'il faut r&#233;nover le Louvre pour montrer au monde la puissance du roi et de l'&#201;tat. En 1664-1666, il y eut une commande sp&#233;ciale de treize tapis pour la Galerie d'Apollon, qui servit d'essai initial pour la suite particuli&#232;rement grandiose et difficile de quatre-vingt-treize tapis &#224; suivre pour la Galerie du Bord de l'Eau (connue sous le nom de Grande Galerie), au Palais du Louvre, principalement entre 1670 et 1685. Tant par son ex&#233;cution que par sa conception, cette s&#233;rie de tapis de la Grande Galerie doit &#234;tre consid&#233;r&#233;e comme l'un des projets les plus ambitieux et les plus importants du m&#233;c&#233;nat de Louis XIV dans le domaine des arts d&#233;coratifs. Louis XIV n'a finalement jamais achev&#233; le plan d'ensemble de l'int&#233;rieur, puisqu'il d&#233;m&#233;nage la cour &#224; Versailles en 1682, mais le tissage de ce grand nombre de tapis est tout de m&#234;me achev&#233;.<br>Le cr&#233;ateur du projet n'est pas mentionn&#233; sp&#233;cifiquement dans les Comptes du B&#226;timent du Roi, mais en tant que premier peintre du Roi (et directeur de la manufacture de la Savonnerie &#224; partir de 1665), Charles Le Brun aurait &#233;t&#233; impliqu&#233;, de m&#234;me que Louis Le Vau, en tant que premier peintre du Roi. Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) devient Surintendant des B&#226;timents du Roi en 1664 et fait appel aux talents du groupe d'artistes et d'architectes du Petit Conseil, dont Le Vau et Le Brun.Verlet a consign&#233; de mani&#232;re exhaustive l'histoire de la manufacture de la Savonnerie, y compris les tapis de la Grande Galerie, avec une liste, une br&#232;ve description et un plan de disposition pour chaque tapis, ainsi que l'historique connu de la propri&#233;t&#233; de chaque pi&#232;ce (Pierre Verlet, The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor : the Savonnerie, 1982). Notre fragement peut &#234;tre rapproch&#233; du tapis n&#176;29 du plan de Verlet sans toutefois pouvoir l'affirmer avec certitude du fait de son &#233;tat lacunaire. <br><br>Le projet global symbolise le projet politique et les aspirations personnelles du Roi-Soleil, &#224; travers les dessins des tapis et leur amalgame de th&#232;mes divers, qui soulignent la grandeur du souverain. Les tapis du Louvre sont abondamment d&#233;cor&#233;s d'une combinaison de symboles royaux,