Aubusson - Tapestry - 282 cm - 192 cm - The Elderflower

The Montbaron Gallery is honored to present this magnificent mid-18th-century Aubusson tapestry, a piece that exemplifies the sumptuous maturity of the verdure genre, where nature ceases to be a mere backdrop and becomes the absolute protagonist of a botanical narrative. Unlike the mythological scenes of the previous century, this work immerses itself in the exuberance of an untamed landscape, capturing the essence of the late Rococo through a density of vegetation that overflows the limits of the loom with an almost tactile sophistication.

In this masterfully executed scene, the viewer is transported to an ecosystem of complex and profound verdure, where the skillful interplay of light and shadow among the foliage evokes the organic harmony so sought after by the Aubusson workshops. In the foreground, with astonishing clarity, stands out an elderberry (Sambucus nigra), whose umbels of pale flowers and budding berries act as a visual anchor of rustic realism. This plant, rendered with a delicacy bordering on scientific illustration, becomes the centerpiece of a composition that celebrates wildlife in its purest form.

The landscape architecture and the treatment of the flora, with its chromatic transitions from deep blue to warm ochre, imbue the piece with an academic elegance and vibrant freshness. This tapestry is not only a marvel of French craftsmanship but also a testament to the shift in sensibility toward nature during the Enlightenment, when the garden became a mirror reflecting both the sublime and the everyday, elevated here to the status of a total art form.

- Provenance: Private collection
- Measurements: 282 x 192 cm
- Colours look wonderful, with a magnificent display of complex greens and golden undertones.
- Damages and small holes to be repaired.
- The artwork will be shipped and packed professionally, and delivered to you in no time.