The King visiting the Gobelins (1673/1679) by Tapestry, Manufacture des Gobelins, and Atelier de Jean Jans filsMobilier National, Manufacture des Gobelins, de Beauvais, de la Savonnerie

This tapestry is part of the hanging of the History of the King which depicts the major events of the reign of Louis XIV in fourteen subjects. It was designed by Charles Le Brun and Adam Frans van der Meulen from 1662 onwards; weaving began in 1665, until its completion in 1679.

This tapestry represents Louis XIV’s visit – the king easily recognisable by his red feathered hat – to make the Manufacture of the Crown at Les Gobelins. Here, ‘objets d'art’ were produced to adorn the royal residences.

 From 1662, his minister Colbert had brought artisans to Les Gobelins to create create the Manufacture of the Crown’s furniture. The aim was both economic and political - to avoid expensive art imports and assert France's supremacy in the world of luxury products.

Louis XIV is surrounded by his brother Philippe, Duke of Orleans, referred to as Monsieur.  

Since it was founded in 1690, the Manufacture was run by Charles Le Brun, the king's first painter, who presented the king and his retinue with Les Gobelins' most beautiful creations. Le Brun was responsible for providing models of all works - tapestries, prints, sculptures, cabinetry, silver and gold objects, marquetry in hard stone, etc. , created by the factory's workers to monitor the quality of their work. He was responsible for some 400 craftsmen, goldsmiths, cabinetmakers, carpenters, stonemasons, painters, engravers and sculptors. He also ran La Savonnerie carpet factory, the templates for which were painted at Les Gobelins. 

In 1663, Gédéon Berbier du Mets, a financier in Colbert's circle, was appointed Intendant General of the “Garde-meuble de la Couronne”, the body responsible for the conservation and installation of furniture and textile decorations in royal houses.

The pieces depicted in this tapestry all existed. The painting that occupies the background of the composition is the cartoon - i.e. the model painted on a scale of 1 - of the tapestry depicting The Passage of the Granicus. It is part of the History of Alexander, a wall hanging woven after Le Brun to the glory of Louis XIV, comparing him to the heroic ruler of antiquity. 

This tapestry belongs to the hangings of the Royal Houses, a series of twelve tapestries, each corresponding to a royal residence and a month of the year. This is the part representing Fontainebleau (June). This wall hanging illustrates how refined the taste of Louis XIV was by depicting in the foreground the silverware created for the king - the "Mobilier d'argent" - and rare animals from the Versailles menagerie.

This tapestry is one of the first pieces woven at Les Gobelins under the direction of Charles Le Brun: the Gate of Mars

This tapestry, where only the edge is seen, is also part of the hangings of the Royal Houses. This piece represents Versailles (April). 

The Tapestry of the Visit of the King to Les Gobelins particularly showcases the silverware created for Louis XIV by the goldsmiths of Les Gobelins and the Louvre. This exceptionally rich silverware was all melted down before the end of Louis XIV’s reign to fund the war of the League of Augsburg. 

This large oval dish represented the Reduction of Marsal, one of the young Louis XIV’s military victories. 

This richly decorated vase may be the great dragon vase, delivered by the goldsmith Alexis Loir in 1683. 

This large pedestal with allegorical figures was one of a series of eight. Made from sterling silver, they were each 1.94 m high and weighed 300 kg.

Several scholars worked at Les Gobelins under Louis XIV, including the Italian Domenico Cucci. He was to deliver several cabinets like the one represented here in the Royal furniture collection. 

Only two remain, the monkey cabinet and the spaniel cabinet, which are now in the collection of the Duke of Northumberland (Alnwick Castle, England).

The many figures represented in this tapestry show the vivacity and dynamism of the early output.. They have sometimes been identified as being the artists and craftsmen working at Les Gobelins, but the lack of sources makes it impossible to confirm these propositions with any certainty. Some figures are dressed more lavishly than others. These probably represent the workshop supervisors. 

These two cartouches indicate the start and end date of the Visit of the King to Les Gobelins: 1673-1679. Six years were needed to weave the wool, silk and gold thread measuring five metres high and seven metres wide. 

The edges are punctuated by the royal emblem. The two cartouches on the lower corners are decorated with the number of Louis XIV, with two “L’s” intertwined and crowned.

The cartouches in the upper corners contain the King's emblem, the Sun shooting out its rays, and his motto : “Nec pluribus impar” that is sometimes translated as “Unlike any another!”

Finally, the arms of France occupy the centre of the upper border. Everything here shows that this tapestry was made for Louis XIV and to glorify him.  

The cartouche in the lower border describes the episode depicted. Louis XIV came to the Manufacture several times during his reign, notably in October 1667, and it was often considered that this visit was the one depicted in the tapestry, but several works represented here were created after that date. More than a specific event, this tapestry would appear to depict an idealised visit, a composite image. 

The borders of the tapestry are particularly rich. They were drawn by the ornamental painter Jean Lemoyne Le Lorrain. They can be found almost identical on all the parts of the History of King woven on high smooth looms. The basse-lisse tapestries of this hanging were given simpler borders with floral motifs. 

Credits: Story

Mobilier national, manufacture des Gobelins. Rédactrice Hélène Gasnault.
Tapisserie GMTT95/010.
Février 2020.

Credits: All media
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