`Offering to Bacchus', A French Mythological Tapestry, probably Beauvais manufactory, under Behagle, after the series `Grotesques' designed by Jean Baptiste Monnoyer 18th/19th century

woven with central  pavilion flanked by vine-clad trellis supports, centred with a pedestal supporting sculpture of Bacchus, and foreground figures of a musician and female figure with basket of flowers, with marble foreground, within four-sided frame pattern border

Tapestry is lined, and has old hoops across the top. It is recommended that it should have Velcro attached across the top for hanging purposes in the future. It is in very good overall condition, due to age. Highly decorative tapestry of versatile size.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The set of `Grotesques' consisted of six panels designed by Jean Baptiste Monnoyer (1636-1699), and incorporated small figures inspired by the work of Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665), inspired by literary sources, such as Commedia dell'Arte. The panels depict `Grotesques with a Camel', `Grotesques with an Elephant', `Grotesques with Animal Tamers', `Grotesques with the Offering to Priapus', ``Grotesques with Musicians' and `Grotesques with statue of Pan'. From the mid 19th century onwards the series was often referred to as the `Berain Grotesques', after engravings of grotesques by Berain I (1640-1711), of classical grotteschi inspiration, but Berain did not design this particular series. `The Grotesques', had a distinctive yellow (à fond jaune ou tabac d'Espagne) ground, and there were various border types used. It was woven by the Manufacture Royale de Beauvais between 1688 and 1732, initially under the directorship of Philippe Behagle (1641-1705) and then his son of the same name. Monnoyer worked with Jean Baptiste Belin de Fontenay (1653-1715) and with Guy Vernansal (1648-1729), for the distinctive border design of chinoiserie inspiration, elements of which are found in the series of The History of the Emperor of China, and is not the border type of the present panel. Over one-hundred and fifty hangings were recorded, some as sets, pairs or individual hangings. Variations of this panel are in Museum collections in Europe and America.  Copies of the Grotesque series, including a variant of L'Offrande à Bacchus', were produced in Berlin by Jean Barraband II around 1720. The Berlin composition is very similar, although the deity holds a cup aloft, and there are more figures and a simpler setting, see Sotheby's, London, 16th December 1966, lot 14.

Candace Adelson, European Tapestry in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1994, no. 18, pp.207-321, comprehensively catalogues a weaving in their collection of `The Camel' from the series, woven circa 1688-95, and illustrates (pg.314, fig 139) a version of `The Offering of Bacchus', which is higher in dimensions and has more architectural super-structure than the present weaving. A Beauvais, late 17th century/first third of 18th century panel of the Offering of Bacchus, within a feuilles de persil tournantes border, is cited in discussion of a weaving of The Camel composition in the Toms Colletion, Lausanne, see Guy Delmarcel, Nicole de Reyniès & Wendy Hefford, The Toms Collection Tapestries– 16^th to 19^th centuries, Ed. Giselle Eberhard Cotton, Foundation Toms Pauli, Lausanne, Verlag Niggli AG, Zurich, 2010, Chp. I: The Flemish Tapestries, Guy Delmarcel, The Camel (Le Dromedaire), Cat.62, pp.190-194.

Edith Appleton Standen, European Post-Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum, 1985, Vol. II, pp.441-458, comprehensively discusses five panels from the series, including The Offering of Bacchus, The Camel, Musicians and Dancers, and The Violin and Lute Players.  In addition for discussion of anotherspecific panel of the `Offering of Bacchus', see Charissa Bremer-David, French Tapestries and Textiles in the J. Paul Getty Museum, J.Paul Getty Museum publication, Los Angeles, California, 1997, pp.72-79.