Tapestry
1740-1760 (woven)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This tapestry comes from the celebrated Portières des Dieux series, designed by Claude Audran III (1658-1734) for the French royal tapestry manufactory, the Gobelins. The series depicts the four seasons and four elements and enjoyed such widespread popularity that it was re-woven continuously between 1700 and 1789.
Here the figure of Juno, the Goddess of Olympus and Jupiter's consort, personifies the element air; as punishment for disobeying Jupiter, she had once been suspended in the sky by a golden rope.
Seated in regal splendour, Juno holds her sceptre in her right hand, flanked on either side by two peacocks, her attribute. The delicate arabesques framing the goddess include a variety of wind instruments, such as pipes, hurdy gurdys and flutes, all references to the element she embodies.
Here the figure of Juno, the Goddess of Olympus and Jupiter's consort, personifies the element air; as punishment for disobeying Jupiter, she had once been suspended in the sky by a golden rope.
Seated in regal splendour, Juno holds her sceptre in her right hand, flanked on either side by two peacocks, her attribute. The delicate arabesques framing the goddess include a variety of wind instruments, such as pipes, hurdy gurdys and flutes, all references to the element she embodies.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Tapestry, woven in wool and silk |
| Brief description | Tapestry, wool and silk, 'Juno' or 'Air', Portières des Dieux, Gobelins; Paris, ca. 1740-1760 |
| Physical description | Tapestry, silk and wool on woollen warps. 21 warps to the inch. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by the Dowager Viscountess Harcourt GBE |
| Historical context | The series includes Diana, Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter, Bacchus, Venus, Ceres and Juno, all with their respective attributes. This series is not to be confused with Audran's later and quite similar series of arabesque portières: Les Mois (1709), which are smaller in scale and therefore suitable for residences other than royal palaces. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This tapestry comes from the celebrated Portières des Dieux series, designed by Claude Audran III (1658-1734) for the French royal tapestry manufactory, the Gobelins. The series depicts the four seasons and four elements and enjoyed such widespread popularity that it was re-woven continuously between 1700 and 1789. Here the figure of Juno, the Goddess of Olympus and Jupiter's consort, personifies the element air; as punishment for disobeying Jupiter, she had once been suspended in the sky by a golden rope. Seated in regal splendour, Juno holds her sceptre in her right hand, flanked on either side by two peacocks, her attribute. The delicate arabesques framing the goddess include a variety of wind instruments, such as pipes, hurdy gurdys and flutes, all references to the element she embodies. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.768-1950 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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