French / Hanging / ca. 1683

French
Hanging
ca. 1683
View Larger Image

View Full Catalog Record Below

This image is one of over 108,000 from the AMICA Library (formerly The Art Museum Image Consortium Library- The AMICO Library™), a growing online collection of high-quality, digital art images from over 20 museums around the world. www.davidrumsey.com/amica offers subscriptions to this collection, the finest art image database available on the internet. EVERY image has full curatorial text and can be studied in depth by zooming into the smallest details from within the Image Workspace.

Preview the AMICA Library™ Public Collection in Luna Browser Now

Cultures and time periods represented range from contemporary art, to ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works.
Types of works include paintings, drawings, watercolors, sculptures, costumes, jewelry, furniture, prints, photographs, textiles, decorative art, books and manuscripts.

Gain access to this incredible resource through either a monthly or a yearly subscription and search the entire collection from your desktop, compare multiple images side by side and zoom into the minute details of the images. Visit www.davidrumsey.com/amica for more information on the collection, click on the link below the revolving thumbnail to the right, or email us at amica@luna-img.com .

Creator Nationality: European; French
Creator Name-CRT: French
Title: Hanging
Title Type: Object name
Title: Air
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1681
Creation End Date: 1685
Creation Date: ca. 1683
Object Type: Textiles
Classification Term: Textiles-Embroidered
Materials and Techniques: Silk, wool, metal thread on canvas 316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 stitches per sq. cm.
Dimensions: 14 ft. x 9 ft. (426.7 x 274.3 cm)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 46.43.4
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1946
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

Reflecting the grandeur of the official court style of Charles Le Brun (1619-1690), named 'premier peintre' by Louis XIV in 1662, the impressive program of Elements and Seasons is made more personal by having the king, the marquise de Montespan, and six of their children take the roles of the central figures. The complete set, of which four hangings are in the Metropolitan Museum, may be identical to wall decorations in 'tapisserie de petit point' that decorated the king's apartment at the Château de Rambouillet. Here, the monarch is shown as Jupiter, seated on an eagle and holding thunderbolts and a Medusa-headed shield. Also meant to personify Air, the figure is surrounded by winged creatures-parrots, raptors (including a hooded falcon), songbirds, and butterflies-as well as wind instruments. Commissioned by the marquise de Montespan (1641-1707), the hangings were probably embroidered at the Parisian convent of Saint-Joseph-de-la-Providence, which also executed other royal projects, including furnishings for Versailles. One of the marquise's favorite charities-she was named a director in 1681 and retired there ten years later-the convent provided vocational training needlework for orphan girls.

AMICA ID: MMA_.46.43.4
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

AMICA PUBLIC RIGHTS: a) Access to the materials is granted for personal and non-commercial use. b) A full educational license for non-commercial use is available from Cartography Associates at www.davidrumsey.com/amica/institution_subscribe.html c) Licensed users may continue their examination of additional materials provided by Cartography Associates, and d) commercial rights are available from the rights holder.