Sofa with Beauvais Tapestry

One of set of six armchairs and two sofas F185-92. Sofa (canapé) with carved gilt mahogany frame with arched back; upholstered with Beauvais tapestry. The Beauvais tapestry covers on the sofas (F191-2) and armchairs (F185-90) in the Back State Room are of the 1750s and were woven to designs by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) who, in addition to being the leading animal painter of his time, was director of the Beauvais manufactory. The back of this canapé shows an owl and other birds and the seat shows two hounds pursuing a stag. The elaborate scrolling surrounds of the tapestries form a contrast to the neo-classical sofa and armchair frames to which they were applied in the nineteenth century.