Very Fine 19th Century Aubusson french Tapestry - The Lady with Unicorn N° 1364
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 68.9 in (175 cm)Width: 76.78 in (195 cm)Depth: 0.08 in (2 mm)
- Style:Aubusson (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1850
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4874138464942
Royal Manufacture of Aubusson
Favorites of European nobility and royalty for more than 300 years, the tapestries and textiles made by the Royal Manufacture of Aubusson remain legendary for their exceptional quality and grand designs.
The origins of Aubusson’s textiles date back to the 14th century, when residents of the town of Aubusson, located at the base of the Creuse river in France, started small weaving workshops. When skilled weavers from Flanders, Belgium, arrived in Aubusson, seeking refuge and settlement, the town’s weaving industry flourished.
Aubusson was granted the Royal Manufacture title by King Louis XIV in 1665. Along with pieces by rival workshops such as Gobelins and Beauvais, Aubusson’s textiles, carpets and tapestries were prized for their meticulous designs. Early Royal Manufacture of Aubusson works resemble Turkish rugs and Asian textiles, which were popular with European royalty. In later years, though, Aubusson’s weavers shifted their style to reflect Western European and Caucasian rugs as well as Italian Renaissance style, incorporating floral, religious and pastoral themes into the tapestries.
Throughout the 18th century, Aubusson’s tapestries and rugs remained among the most desired by the European aristocracy. An inventory compiled in 1786 listed more than 100 Aubusson carpets at the Palace of Versailles. After the French Revolution, many workshops, including those of Aubusson, lost their Royal Manufacture status. Upholstered and machine-made carpets also became more dominant in the industry.
In 1869, the establishment of the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs d’Aubusson sparked a renewed interest in Aubusson tapestries, which the school still produces today. Although the advent of wallpaper during the late 19th and early 20th century reduced consumer demand for tapestries as wall decor, Aubusson adapted to the shift towards modernist style. Artists like Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso often had their artworks translated into tapestries.
Aubusson’s carpets and tapestries continue to be coveted by interior designers and collectors of 18th-century, mid-19th-century and Napoleon III textiles and furniture. Aubusson’s history of weaving, wool production, spinning and dyeing is on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
On 1stDibs, find a range of antique Royal Manufacture of Aubusson wall decorations, Asian-inspired art and furniture, carpets and more.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Paris, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Tapestry Manufacture Aubusson 19th Century "the Banquet" - No. 1388By Aubusson Manufacture, Royal Manufacture of AubussonLocated in Paris, FRA stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....Category
Antique 1860s French Aubusson Wallpaper
MaterialsWool, Silk
- 1107 - Aubusson Tapestry 19th Century Lady with the UnicornLocated in Paris, FR1107 - a very beautiful and historic 19th century tapestry woven at the Royal Aubusson factory.Category
Vintage 1950s French Aubusson Tapestries
MaterialsWool
- 19th Century French Aubusson Verdure Tapestry, Signed And Monogramed - N° 1401By Aubusson Manufacture, Royal Manufacture of AubussonLocated in Paris, FRA stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....Category
Antique 1840s French Aubusson Tapestries
MaterialsWool, Silk
- French Aubusson Tapestry signed 19th century - A couple of shepherds - No. 1369By Aubusson Manufacture, Royal Manufacture of AubussonLocated in Paris, FRA stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....Category
Antique Mid-19th Century French Aubusson Tapestries
MaterialsWool, Silk
- Beautiful french greenery Aubusson Tapestry 19th century - L2m12xH1m70, N° 1385By Aubusson Manufacture, Royal Manufacture of AubussonLocated in Paris, FRA stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower We are a family business specializing in the purchase, sale and expertise of old, modern and contemporary tapestries, rugs, kilims and textiles....Category
Antique 1860s French Aubusson Tapestries
MaterialsWool, Silk
- The Return of the Prodigal Son 17th Century Biblical Aubusson Tapestry - N° 1390By Royal Manufacture of Aubusson, Aubusson ManufactureLocated in Paris, FRThe Prodigal Son is one of the parables given by Jesus of Nazareth, also called the parable of the Lost Son or the Prodigal Son; He is sometimes called the Merciful Father, or the Found Son, or the parable of the Father and the two sons. It is related in the Gospel according to Luke 15:11–32, where it forms the last part of a trilogy, immediately preceded by the parables of the lost sheep...Category
Antique 1670s French Aubusson Tapestries
MaterialsWool, Silk
- 19th Century Aubusson Tapestry, Handmade, Ivory, Taupe, CreamLocated in Port Washington, NYAubusson tapestry is tapestry manufactured at Aubusson, in the upper valley of the Creuse in central France. The term often covers the similar products made in the nearby town of Felletin, whose products are often treated as "Aubusson". The industry had probably developed since soon after 1300 in looms in family workshops, perhaps already run by the Flemings that are noted in documents from the 16th century. Aubusson tapestry of the 19th century managed to compete with the royal manufacture of Gobelins tapestry and the privileged position of Beauvais tapestry, although generally regarded as not their equal. As with Flemish and Parisian tapestries...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Aubusson Tapestries
MaterialsWool
- Antique 19th Century Square French Aubusson Hunting TapestryBy Aubusson ManufactureLocated in New York, NYThis is a lovely antique 19th Century Square French Aubusson Tapestry depicting a Hunting Scene on a beautiful summer day in the countryside with lush trees and vegetation. We see th...Category
Antique 19th Century French Aubusson Tapestries
MaterialsWool, Tapestry
- 19th Century Aubusson TapestryBy Aubusson ManufactureLocated in LYON, FRBeautifully vivid, 1860-1870 Hand-woven Aubusson French Tapestry. Bought in St Ouen Paris. Warm fresh earthy tones, with amazing detail all in excellent condition. This piece has ha...Category
Antique 1860s French Medieval Tapestries
MaterialsWool
- Aubusson Tapestry "The Banquet of the Pacha", France, 19th CenturyBy Aubusson ManufactureLocated in PARIS, FRBeautiful wool and silk tapestry representing a banquet of a Pasha. While the guests eat, servants bring the dishes and musicians entertain the assembly. Tapestries were used to richly decorate a house and keep the heat inside a room by diminishing the cold radiation of the stones. It could be quickly and easily disassembled to be transported to another house. From a millefleurs decor at the beginning of the art of tapestry, the weavers have managed to increase the woven surfaces allowing the narrative unfolding of a story (biblical, mythological or literary stories) through hangings, set of tapestries on the same subject. The origins of Aubusson tapestry still remain uncertain, although some attribute its invention to Saracens who settled on the banks of the Creuse after their defeat at Poitiers in 732, while others believe it to be the fact that Louis 1...Category
Antique 19th Century French Tapestries
MaterialsWool, Silk
- 19th Century French Aubusson TapestryLocated in New York, NYA French Aubusson tapestry from the 19th century, depicting several young courtiers spending a leisurely afternoon gaily dancing and carousing within the splendidly maintained verdan...Category
Antique 19th Century French Aubusson Tapestries
MaterialsWool
- Antique 19th Century French Aubusson Rococo TapestryBy Aubusson ManufactureLocated in New York, NYThis is a lovely antique 19th century square French Aubusson tapestry depicting a on a beautiful spring day in the countryside with lush trees and vegetation with a woman on a swing and her husband and two children beside her. It is a lovely silk and wool tapestry with in the classic Rocco style...Category
Antique 19th Century French Rococo Tapestries
MaterialsWool, Silk, Tapestry