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.
Neptune was the God of the sea, and as such, ably personifies the element that forms the subject of this tapestry: water. He is shown seated astride a cloud, beneath a garland of coral, with his trident in one hand. The motifs in the surrounding arabesques evoke the oceanic world: pearls, fish, fishing nets, seaweed and the prow of a ship cresting a wave.
Neptune was the God of the sea, and as such, ably personifies the element that forms the subject of this tapestry: water. He is shown seated astride a cloud, beneath a garland of coral, with his trident in one hand. The motifs in the surrounding arabesques evoke the oceanic world: pearls, fish, fishing nets, seaweed and the prow of a ship cresting a wave.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Tapestry, woven in wool and silk |
| Brief description | Tapestry, wool and silk, 'Neptune' or 'Water', Portières des Dieux, Gobelins; Paris, 1740-1760 |
| Physical description | Tapestry, silk and wool on woollen warps. 21 warps to the inch. |
| Dimensions |
|
| 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. Neptune was the God of the sea, and as such, ably personifies the element that forms the subject of this tapestry: water. He is shown seated astride a cloud, beneath a garland of coral, with his trident in one hand. The motifs in the surrounding arabesques evoke the oceanic world: pearls, fish, fishing nets, seaweed and the prow of a ship cresting a wave. |
| Associated objects |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.769-1950 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 3, 2007 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
