Chosen worksTapestries

valet-rapportant-un-heron
Ateliers du Faubourg Saint-Marcel - vers 1620 - Tapisserie, 289 x 312 cm - Inv. 013 91

Servant bringing back a heron

Ateliers of Faubourg Saint-Marcel

From a copy of the hanging of the Hunts of King Francis, this tapestry describes the outcome of a heron hunt: a valet presents the sovereigns with the remains of the bird. For Wulverhorst Schlegel, "Of all the bird hunts, it is the high-flying of the heron that has been considered infinitely more noble than other flights, and alone worthy of bearing the name of royal flight. Heron hunting, carried out with one or more falcons, is distinguished by the technique it requires and the splendor it displays. Although never consumed, the heron is a very prestigious game, especially hunted for the decoration of the seigneurial tables.

Woven from cartoons by Laurent Guyot (1575-1644), painter of the king's tapestries, the hanging of the Hunts of King Francis was inspired by engravings by Antonio Tempesta (1555-1630). Probably commissioned by Marie de Medici (1575 -1642), it evokes - in a retrospective manner - the hunting techniques used during the Renaissance (flying, snaring, gluing, shooting, hounding...). It reminds us that hunting was an instrument at the service of royalty.

works.autres Tapestries

valet-rapportant-un-heron
Ateliers du Faubourg Saint-Marcel - vers 1620 - Tapisserie, 289 x 312 cm - Inv. 013 91