Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Chinoiserie Tapestries


Oriental tapestries came to prominence in the 17th century, especially in France. They continue to be popular today. One of the most distinctive works of Chinoiserie tapestry is La Recotte des Ananas from a series called "The Story of the Emperor of China." It is believed to have been commissioned by Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, the son of Louis XIV. It is incredibly detailed, showing exotic Chinese plants, animals, costumes, landscape, and architecture. This series of ten tapestries can be found today in excellent reproductions.









8 comments:

  1. Love, love, LOVE the originals, but I tend to stay away from reproductions for fear of looking like I live in a museum gift shop.

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  2. Such marvelous colors and really fanciful designs. It's interesting to see how different European powers incorporated the orient into their culture - England used so much porcelain, pattern, and of course, there's the tea, but France seems to have made much more use of textiles and furniture.

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  3. I saw the second to last image done in a mosiac of tile once!!! Now I can't remember where bit it was a jaw dropper!!!!

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  4. Averill-I think copies of very well known masterpieces are a decorating disaster. More obscure things like these I think you can get away with. But I agree, I posted these more because of their beauty than something to use in your own home.

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  5. SF-Exactly so. My taste runs much more to the English, but these are quite wonderful.

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  6. Alicia-I saw one done in tile for a bathroom. Wow!

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