Getty Museum

Tapestry: L'Aurore et Céphale, from Les Tentures de François Boucher Series

Date

1776–1777

Medium

Wool and silk; modern linen lining

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

Based on Book VII of Ovid's *Metamorphoses,* the roundel in this tapestry shows Aurora, goddess of the dawn, gazing upon the sleeping form of her lover, the hunter Cephalus. She sits among clouds with the morning star shining on her forehead. Cephalus, a mortal who is bound to the earth, reclines on the forest floor, but his dog awakens as the goddess approaches. This roundel imitates a painting set in an oval frame, complete with François Boucher's signature under Cephalus. Exotic birds and a hunting trophy in the center ornament the *alentours* or decorative setting, which was narrower than others in the set in order to fit the shorter wall of a room.

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