Pair Of Aubusson Tapestry Doors, In The Style Of Jb Huet, Last Quarter Of The 18th Century

- Pair of tapestry doorways woven in an Aubusson workshop during the last quarter of the 18th century.

These two doorways, identical in composition, form a pair with a beautiful decorative effect. Both are organized in this way; a foreground governed by two neoclassical columns (fluted shaft, Ionic capital) ribboned with floral garlands. Between these two columns, at their summit, another floral garland arranged in a festoon. It is crossed, vertically, by a gardener's trophy suspended using pink knotted ribbons. Under the trophy, on the ground, there is an animal scene (rabbits for one of them, a hen and her chicks for the other) which announces the rural landscape in the background. In addition to the animals, there are still differences in the elements that make up the gardener's trophy (on the left: a rake, a satchel, ears of wheat, a wicker basket filled with freshly cut flowers, squash, apples, grapes / on the right: a rake, a spade, a pickaxe, a watering can, a wicker cage, bunches of grapes, garlands of flowers).

- The motifs, richly detailed and treated naturally, were transcribed by the weavers with great precision in a fine weave. The ribbons and numerous flowers in polychrome hues brighten up the composition with touches of color that enhance the whole.

- This decoration was woven in an Aubusson workshop based on a model by Jean-Baptiste Marie Huet (1745-1811) from the farm life series (see Jean-Baptiste HUET, pastoral tapestry design kept at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York). The artist's style is recognizable here with a rural decor decorated with animals and invaded by flowers, all in a natural, precise and vaporous treatment in the background. His work is very characteristic of the art of the pastoral of the 18th century and marks the last fires of the rocaille style in an era already dominated by the neoclassical taste.

- Jean-Baptiste Huet (1745-1811) published numerous engraved collections of models and ornaments intended for artists, craftsmen and amateurs. These plates, made available by drawing schools to students, served as models and constituted real "drawing books". Huet's studies, friezes, trophies, floral and animal compositions proved to be perfectly suited to meet educational aims. His plates were also very useful for interior decoration and decorative art objects. Jean-Baptiste Huet himself worked as a decorator. In particular, he produced murals in the company of Boucher and Fragonard and produced drawings and cartoons for the Beauvais tapestry factory and for the Jouy printed canvas factory for the Oberkampf factory.

- Good state of conservation, lined, Velcro fastening system. Restored in 2001 by the Chevalier workshops - Dimensions: Height: 270 cm, Width: 116 cm For the second: Height: 269.5 cm, Width: 112 cm