5 x 6 Antique French Aubusson Pastoral Tapestry 73139

73139 Late 19th Century Antique French Aubusson Tapestry, 05'02 x 06'04.

Woven in the celebrated ateliers of Aubusson during the late 19th century, this exquisite French tapestry echoes the bucolic poetry of Francois Boucher’s “Romance in the Country,” an iconic evocation of Rococo pastoral charm. Rendered in handwoven wool and silk, the scene unfurls beneath a gilded canopy of linden and chestnut trees, their foliage laced in hues of citron, sage, and celadon, dappling the countryside with golden light. In the foreground, shepherdesses recline in gentle conversation while a gallant youth, basket in hand and dog at heel, completes this tableau of rustic leisure—an Arcadia dreamed into being through Boucher’s fanciful lens and revived in thread generations later.

This pastoral reverie is more than mere decorative delight—it is a woven reflection of 18th-century ideals, reimagined through the romanticized lens of Belle Époque France. The figures are draped in elegantly softened Rococo garb—ribbons, flounced bodices, and ruched chemises in blush, beige, and rosewood—each fold of fabric caught mid-movement, as though stirred by the countryside’s perfumed breeze. In the background, a wooden bridge gently spans a quiet stream, leading to a rustic farmhouse half-hidden by flowering shrubs and a soft mist of arboreal green, completing the illusion of a world untouched by toil or time.

True to the spirit of Boucher’s original compositions, the tapestry brims with intimacy and theatricality. The shepherd boy, with one arm extended and the other cradling his charge, engages the young women not merely as a rustic companion but as a figure of courtly mischief—his gesture part offering, part performance. The livestock graze idly, and baskets of fruit and linen sit artfully askew, symbols of abundance and pastoral ease. The surrounding flora, with oversized acanthus leaves and blushing blooms, echo the exaggerated naturalism found in Boucher’s paintings, their stylization a testament to both nature and artifice.

Framed with a scrolling floral border in warm sienna, maize, and claret, the tapestry offers not only visual pleasure but a narrative frozen in harmony—an idealized countryside suspended between myth and memory. It invites the viewer not just to admire its artistry, but to enter its gentle world, to sit beneath its trees and listen to laughter shared beside the brook. In every thread lies the whisper of a romantic France, a timeless pastoral dream made tangible by the looms of Aubusson. This Aubusson masterpiece stands as both homage and heirloom—an embodiment of Rococo Revival splendor and Belle Epoque sensibility, woven with precision, reverie, and grace.

• Abrash.
• Handwoven wool. Handwoven Silk.
• Made in France.
• Measures: 05'02 x 06'04.
• Date: 1880's. Late 19th Century.