Antique 1800s Aubusson Style Hand Painted French Priam Tapestry

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Extremely large antique late 1800s Aubusson style hand painted French tapestry. This artwork is densely packed with symbolism and depicts … Read more Extremely large antique late 1800s Aubusson style hand painted French tapestry. This artwork is densely packed with symbolism and depicts a story straight from greek mythology. We will offer a brief description from top to bottom...although one could look for hours at the details! The very top depicts a subtle landscape, seemingly far off in the distance. Directly below we get a glimpse of an important scene among nobles in a palace. The top of the palace building reads, "Palais De-Troie" which translates to, "Palace of Troy". In the scene you see the main figure Priam seated rather regally and surrounded by greek leaders and trojan heroes. Priam was the son of Trojan king Laomedon and further more the last king of Try at the time when Greeks launched an attack against the city known as the Trojan War. If you look closely in the crowd around him you will find that some of the people have subtle names written into their clothing and attire to signify who they are. Some examples include his sons "Hector", "Troilus", and "Paris" whom lead the trojans. To the right you see nobles in a boat approaching the scene. The very bottom has a a lovely floral scene and a red banner in latin which translates roughly to "Agree auspices (divine or prophetic token) of Priam. Greeks leaders and heroes Trojans." This Trojan War tapestries depicts a medieval 're-telling' of the epic battle between the Greeks and the Trojans. While the story comes from Greek mythology, it is believed to have historic truth. Contrary to popular belief, the tale does not end with the destruction of Troy but with a temporary truce after which the fighting presumably continues. This tapestry is ultra rare since it depicts such an uncommon scene! This scene was skillfully hand painted / hand printed onto this large natural fiber woven tapestry fabric. Dye colors used in this era were often extracted from plants or even insects. The artist made many shades in reds and blues with limited color resources - a marvel to view! The idea that the city was Troy goes back at least 2,700 years, when the ancient Greeks were colonizing the west coast of Turkey. In the 19th century, the idea again became popular when a a series of excavations at Hisarlik and discovered treasures he claimed to be from King Priam.

This antique piece of artwork tells a larger than life story and would be a magnificent addition to your collection or decor. Measuring at 113" long and 52.5" wide it could easily be a show stopping piece for an entire wall or room.

Measurements:
52.5" wide
113" long See less