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Design for a Tapestry Seat of a Sofa

1721
Not on view
The painter Charles Antoine Coypel was also a noteworthy designer for the famous Gobelins tapestry manufactory in Paris. His most successful tapestry series illustrates the story of Don Quixote, based on the seventeenth-century novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Conceived in 1714, the series remained in production until 1794. This design for the seat of a sofa dates from 1721 and depicts Don Quixote’s mistress in a detail taken from a larger tapestry composition. According to the inscription, the design was conceived for "Madame la Regente," most likely referring to Françoise Marie de Bourbon, the spouse of Prince Regent Philippe d’Orléans. The sofa was probably part of a full set for a salon, but none of the other designs by Coypel survive.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Design for a Tapestry Seat of a Sofa
  • Artist: Charles Antoine Coypel (French, Paris 1694–1752 Paris)
  • Date: 1721
  • Medium: Gouache with oil; silhouetted and laid down on mount with soft yellow wash surround within two black-ink border lines
  • Dimensions: 5 3/16 x 14 13/16 in. (13.2 x 37.6 cm)
  • Classifications: Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Wrightsman, 1970
  • Object Number: 1970.522.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
François de Jullienne (1722–1754) and Marie Elisabeth de Jullienne (Marie Elisabeth de Séré de Rieux, 1724–1795), Charles Antoine Coypel French, Pastel, black chalk, watercolor, and traces of black chalk underdrawing on four joined sheets of handmade blue laid paper, mounted on canvas and adhered to a keyed stretcher
François de Jullienne (1722–1754) and Marie Elisabeth de Jullienne (Marie Elisabeth de Séré de Rieux, 1724–1795)
Charles Antoine Coypel
1743
Guitar, Jean-Baptiste Voboam French, Spruce, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, ivory, ebony, French
Guitar
attributed to Jean-Baptiste Voboam
1697
The Conversion of Saint Paul, Ludovico Carracci Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white gouache and cream color oil paint, over black chalk, on paper toned with light brown wash
The Conversion of Saint Paul
Ludovico Carracci
ca. 1587–89
The Daughter of Jephthah, Charles Antoine Coypel French, Black chalk and stumping, heightened with white chalk, on blue paper; squared in black chalk
The Daughter of Jephthah
Charles Antoine Coypel
1710–50
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century

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