The Offering to Pan from a set of the Berain Grotesques
Not on view
Beneath a fanciful and elegant loggia, gamboling devotees of Pan, Greek god of fields and shepherds, garland his altar. This tapestry is from a set known as the Berain Grotesques, in reference to the pervasive stylistic influence of the artist Jean Berain (1640-1711), who may even have provided preliminary sketches. The Classical architecture, flora, fauna and figures against the blank ground was in emulation of the Roman wall-paintings excavated in the subterranean chambers of Nero's palace in Rome (erroneously called 'grotti', hence 'grotesques'.)
These Berain Grotesques tapestries’ light-hearted subject matter and whimsical design contrast with the heavier, ornate style that had characterized French tapestry during the preceding third quarter of the seventeenth century. The series enjoyed immense popularity during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and the Beauvais workshop produced many weavings for international clients.
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