Tapestry: Vénus sortant des eaux, from Les Tentures de François Boucher Series

In this tapestry, one of a set of four, <span class="text-link" onclick="javascript:link(84, 528, event);">Venus rises from turbulent waters in the center <span class="text-link" onclick="javascript:link(84, 637, event);">roundel. Artists in the 1700s based this popular subject on various writings from ancient Greece and Rome. The roundel imitates a painting set in an oval frame, complete with François Boucher's signature on a rock. The scene is also inscribed with 1766, the date the design or <span class="text-link" onclick="javascript:link(84, 359, event);">cartoon was produced, rather than the year the tapestry was woven. Exotic birds, floral garlands, and a musical ornament in the center decorate the <span class="text-link" onclick="javascript:link(84, 123, event);">alentours or border, which was narrower than others in the set in order to fit the shorter wall of a room.

This tapestry comes from a series called Les Tentures de François Boucher, which depicts scenes of classical mythology. Three others from this set appear in the Getty collection: Jupiter transformé en Diane pour surprendre Callisto avec Vertumne et Pomone, Vénus aux forges de Vulcain, and L'Aurore et Céphale.