Tapestry: The Collation from The Story of the Emperor of China Series

Surrounded by attendants and seated at a round table before a tiled, outdoor pavilion, the Chinese emperor and empress enjoy a light meal. While the imperial couple are served tea and fruit, a servant reaches up behind them to remove a platter from a buffet of golden dishes and blue-and-white porcelain arranged in the European fashion. Seated on a stool to the left, a female musician with a monkey at her feet plays a stringed instrument resembling a sitar. In the center, a dwarf dances to her music, while to the right a maid drops incense into a golden incense burner. A large carpet covers the platform on which the emperor and empress sit. The edge of the carpet is woven with the inscription of Guy-Louis Vernansal, who was the chief designer of the tapestry series known as The Story of the Emperor of China.