La manufacture royale de Beauvais : cartons et tapisseries 1724-1794

How can we trace, identify and date the tapestries produced at the Royal Manufactory of Beauvais in the 18th century?

To answer this question, Pascal-François Bertrand and Charissa Bremer-David carried out a detailed analysis of the ‘Livres des ouvrages et façons des tapisseries’ (Registers of Tapestry Works and Techniques), which were compiled to calculate the wages of the manufactory’s weavers. Some 2,392 pieces, produced over a period of seventy years under four administrators, are mentioned therein. These registers list the titles of the tapestries and the names of the clients, but also provide a wealth of valuable information.

The works are listed in chronological order and described using highly precise terminology, specific to each tapestry or manufactured item (furniture upholstery, door hangings, valances, canopies, banners, tapestries, liturgical ornaments, etc.). The descriptions of the work carried out by the tapestry makers form veritable verbal images, enabling us, on the one hand, to reconstruct the cartoons—most of which have been lost—and, on the other, to distinguish between the different versions, which can be recognised by specific details characteristic of each craftsman’s talent. The book is richly illustrated with tapestries that are now preserved or have been identified on the market.