Pretty antique French 19th Century painted cartoon. These are normally patterns for Aubusson tapestries. It has been mounted on a simple frame, age related wear as to be expected. A very decorative antique panel.
Tapestry cartoons are the life size models from which tapestries are woven. Painted in oil on canvas or gouache on paper, these paintings gave life to the smallest cushion to the largest of wall hangings. The wools and silks were dyed to match the painting, and the weaver then copied it. Working with the cartoon under the warp threads of the loom, at a rate of approximately two square metres per month, per worker, the final tapestry slowly appeared. The quality of the finished tapestry was largely dependant on the artistry of the cartoon painter combined with the skill of the weaver.
