Cleveland Museum of Art

Panel: Spring

Date

c. 1715

Medium

Savonnerie knotted-pile (144 symmetrical rug knots per square inch); wool, hemp

Culture

France, early 18th century

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Courtiers and aristocrats anxious to model their lifestyles on the king also commissioned works from the same state manufactories that produced tapestries, carpets, and upholstery for the French monarchy. Established in the early 1600s, the Savonnerie factory provided both domestic furnishings for the king’s palaces and diplomatic gifts for foreign heads of state. The double coat of arms in this tapestry suggests that it was made for a count and countess who married in 1717. One of a group of four tapestries depicting the seasons, this work depicts the abundant flora and fauna of spring. The Cleveland Museum of Art rotates this tapestry with another from this group. The other two tapestries in the suite can be seen at the Toledo Museum of Art.

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