79194 Late 19th Century Antique French Aubusson Tapestry, 07'05 x 07'10.
A vision of romantic reverie unfurls in this handwoven Late 19th Century French Aubusson tapestry, where time and artistry have entwined to form a pastoral symphony of wool and wistful beauty. Woven in the storied ateliers of Aubusson—a town long celebrated for its mastery in tapestry-making—this piece captures the decorative sensibilities of a bygone era steeped in refinement and cultivated charm. Its composition evokes the lingering spirit of Rococo revivalism, where nature is not only admired but lovingly idealized, blooming across the surface in poetic cascades of flora and fauna.
At its heart, a tranquil menagerie unfolds—a graceful bird, perhaps a pheasant or long-tailed exotic fowl, nestled beside a quiet stream beneath leafy boughs. Framing this intimate foreground, a dreamlike landscape opens up into the distance, revealing a chateau tucked amidst softly shaded trees. This hidden manor, its turrets barely piercing the sky, conjures the romance of the French countryside, suggesting a world of timeless leisure and poetic solitude. It is an invitation into a pastoral Arcadia, a refuge of beauty where the boundaries between nature, art, and imagination dissolve.
The border, a sumptuous garland of roses and rocaille flourishes, contains this Edenic vision like a floral wreath framing a beloved portrait. Rendered in the flat-woven basse-lisse technique, each thread is a painter’s stroke, blending pale apricots, muted blues, ochres, and celadon into a visual aria of texture and tone. The naturally dyed wool, aged to a mellow patina, testifies to the passage of over a century, its fading hues now soft as memory. This tactile canvas was once destined for the walls of a refined salon, where it would lend softness, grace, and grandeur to interiors inspired by classical beauty.
As a decorative relic, this Aubusson tapestry whispers of an age enamored with artifice and the romance of nature. It once graced walls not merely as ornament but as a window into an imagined world—a pastoral poem woven in thread, where birds sing, trees dance, and distant chateaux promise the pleasures of an unreachable yet enduring dream. Today, it survives as a testament to French artistry and the poetic vision of the 19th century, ready to enchant anew with its timeless elegance and gentle storytelling.
- Abrash. Age Wear.
- Handwoven wool.
- Made in France.
- Measures: 07'05 x 07'10.
- Pile Height: 0.40 of an inch.
- Date: 1880's. Late 19th Century.
