Design for a Tapestry Seat of a Sofa
Charles Antoine Coypel
1721 · Gouache with oil. Silhouetted and laid down on mount with soft yellow wash surround within two black-ink border lines. · Drawings and Prints
The painter Charles Antoine Coypel was also a noteworthy designer for the famous Gobelins tapestry manufactory in Paris. His most successful tapestry series illustrates the story of Don Quixote, based on the seventeenth-century novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Conceived in 1714, the series remained in production until 1794. This design for the seat of a sofa dates from 1721 and depicts Don Quixote’s mistress in a detail taken from a larger tapestry composition. According to the inscription, the design was conceived for "Madame la Regente," most likely referring to Françoise Marie de Bourbon, the spouse of Prince Regent Philippe d’Orléans. The sofa was probably part of a full set for a salon, but none of the other designs by Coypel survive.
- Artist
- Charles Antoine Coypel
- Date
- 1721
- Medium
- Gouache with oil. Silhouetted and laid down on mount with soft yellow wash surround within two black-ink border lines.
- Department
- Drawings and Prints
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Wrightsman, 1970
