A Gobelins tapestry for the Getty

16/2/25 – Acquisition – Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum – After languishing in storage for almost seven decades, the beautiful Gobelins tapestry (ill. 1) reappeared at Christie’s in Paris in autumn 2022 (see the news item of 21/11/22), and at first glance had everything it took to arouse the interest of institutions, first and foremost European [1], then naturally worldwide, its quality and rich history being able to attract many enthusiasts drawn by its freshness, provenance and esteem. But the affair came to a sudden end: the tapestry, undoubtedly undervalued, let down by an unattractive display that highlighted its tears, was bought in!
The object deserved the best care and so it was no surprise to find it at TEFAF in March 2024, restored and presented by the royal manufacturer De Wit, who knew how to show it off to best effect and was then able to sell it to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

1. Royal Gobelins Manufactory, workshop of Michel Audran (1701-1771)
The Month of April or The Sign of Taurus from the Lucas Months Tapestry, 1737-1740
Wool and silk - 376 x 338 cm
Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum
Photo: Royal De Wit Manufactory

See the image in its page

The composition is well known, the tapestry belonging to a hanging famous for its multiple weavings that spanned several centuries - proof of its great success with the European princely elites - from the first examples made in Brussels to this Gobelins weaving executed in the middle of the Age of Enlightenment. The tapestry consists of twelve pieces representing the months of the year and the signs of the zodiac and is historically known as the "Mois de Lucas", although its design, once attributed to the painter Lucas of Leiden, is now attributed to a Flemish artist working in the circle of Bernard van Orley. At the Gobelins, its success continued unabated: reweavings multiplied under the Ancien Régime, with specialists recording a dozen editions of the "Mois de Lucas".…