A SET OF EIGHT FRENCH GILTWOOD FAUTEUILS IN LOUIS XVI STYLE AFTER A MODEL BY GEORGES JACOB

A SET OF EIGHT FRENCH GILTWOOD FAUTEUILS IN LOUIS XVI STYLE

AFTER A MODEL BY GEORGES JACOB, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

each with a padded back, seat and armrests covered with mid-18th century Beauvais tapestry depicting scenes from the fables of Jean de la Fontaine, with leaf, bead and guilloche carved frames, on stop fluted legs, the underside of two applied with a metal label inscribed 'HALTON COLLECTION' (8)

PROVENANCE

Alfred de Rothschild (1842-1918)

Lionel de Rothschild (1882-1942)

Edmund de Rothschild (1916-2009)

The Trustees of Exbury House

CATALOGUE NOTE

'The Fables' by Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1755), many of which were taken from Aesop, made popular and suitable subjects for tapestry seat covers. They were probably woven after designs by the painter Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) who was court painter to Louis XV and was made Director of Tapestry at Beauvais in 1734. The scenes illustrated include: the cat and the thrush, the fox and the stork, the wolf and the lamb, the frog and the ox, the two doves and the heiffer, kid and sheep in partnership with lion.