Triumph of Alexander or Entry Into Babylon
By Danele Norcia
Made in France around the year 1700, this object is a tapestry depicting the triumph of Alexander the Great after his siege of Babylon. Measuring over fourteen feet wide and just shy of ten feet in height, this extremely large piece covers a significant portion of one of the walls in room 327 of the Ahmanson building of the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts (LACMA). It was created by an artisan from the Royal Aubusson workshop and modeled after a design by Charles le Brun in order to celebrate and honor Alexander the Great, who is easy to spot when viewing the tapestry. Alexander had set out to conquer the city of Babylon and needed to determine the best way to weaken the city’s defenses in order to best storm the city to claim it. The city was located along the Euphrates river, so Alexander decided to use the geography of the city to his strategic advantage. His troops dug trenches in order to divert the water and drastically lessen the amount which could reach the city before they set fire to it. The Babylonians accepted Alexander as their king and cried out to him in order that they be saved from their burning city, after which he ordered his troops to put out the fires. Grateful that their city had been spared from total destruction, the people brought amazing amounts of gifts as offerings, including horses, lions, leopards, gold, war horses, and the robe of the king of Persia, Xerxes (Stoneman, 70-71). The piece’s size and uses of sections of bright red catches a person’s attention as soon as they step into the room, making it a very visually interesting piece.
The tapestry, which was woven using wool and silk, pictures Alexander the Great riding in an enormous chariot pulled by an elephant on the right hand side. He is depicted in classical style clothing, showing his power and ambition to build an empire superior to all those that came before him. He, and the warriors surrounding him, are all wearing red cloaks, a color that is commonly associated with war and passion. In addition, the horses ridden by the soldiers in the piece are all draped in animal fur, illustrating how rich and powerful Alexander was. Below Alexander’s chariot are two men carrying a large container, presumably one of many offerings that were made after his men put out the fires that they had set in Babylon earlier. Most of the tapestry is in varying shades of yellow, brown, and green, with bright sections of red and blue on the clothes of those depicted. The entire picture is framed with a thick brown and beige border, decorated with a crosshatched, or diamond-shaped, design with overlaying flowers, eight between each corner across the top and bottom edges, and five down either side. These flowers are all of the same kind, but, as in everyday life, no two depicted are exactly alike. They are of a reddish pink color in varying shades of vibrancy, which gives the suggestion that those creating the tapestry were very skilled in designing twenty-six different flowers of different shades while still remaining in the same color range.
This piece was likely made for a wealthy family, who not only had the funds necessary to commission a piece of such a size, but a home large enough in which to hang it (Newman, 62). An artisan from the Royal Aubusson workshop made it, modeling it after a design by Charles le Brun. At the very least, the types of individuals and talents involved in making this tapestry are known. Aubusson, a town in central southern France, had been producing tapestries since the sixteenth century, although the first looms were likely to have been set up during the fourteenth century. Aubusson was known for their lower quality tapestries, which could be compared to fairly convincing, but overall inferior, knockoffs of designer handbags one might find at a swap meet in modern times. The textile industry in Aubusson did not rise above the rather lowly reputation it had until the early 1700s. The weavers worked from images called cartoons, and generally from simplified copies of contemporary engravings, rather than intricate artworks (Fowle and Weardon, “Aubusson”).
Since tapestries were used as a sign of wealth and power in medieval times and depicted famous scenes, one may see comparable objects in the large prints of photos taken in exotic places around the world or commissioned portraits from artists. When a family has a print of a photo taken in the Alps or the amazon rainforest, it makes them appear to be cultured and wealthy enough to travel places, even if the image is merely a print ordered off of amazon.com and put in a frame bought from a local craft store. Likewise, a commissioned portrait (or even a photographed one made to look painted) carefully placed may make a household seem classier and more important than it might have seemed without it. Some people might choose to have such portraits done in classic formal poses, while others might pose nude on a bearskin rug in front of their fireplace. However, tapestries are still in use and being created today, although the work has been made much easier with the help of modern technology. Wealthy individuals might still have tapestries on the walls of their homes to show their wealth, especially if the tapestries in question are “vintage,” which tend to be worth more than their modern counterparts.
The tapestry, which was woven using wool and silk, pictures Alexander the Great riding in an enormous chariot pulled by an elephant on the right hand side. He is depicted in classical style clothing, showing his power and ambition to build an empire superior to all those that came before him. He, and the warriors surrounding him, are all wearing red cloaks, a color that is commonly associated with war and passion. In addition, the horses ridden by the soldiers in the piece are all draped in animal fur, illustrating how rich and powerful Alexander was. Below Alexander’s chariot are two men carrying a large container, presumably one of many offerings that were made after his men put out the fires that they had set in Babylon earlier. Most of the tapestry is in varying shades of yellow, brown, and green, with bright sections of red and blue on the clothes of those depicted. The entire picture is framed with a thick brown and beige border, decorated with a crosshatched, or diamond-shaped, design with overlaying flowers, eight between each corner across the top and bottom edges, and five down either side. These flowers are all of the same kind, but, as in everyday life, no two depicted are exactly alike. They are of a reddish pink color in varying shades of vibrancy, which gives the suggestion that those creating the tapestry were very skilled in designing twenty-six different flowers of different shades while still remaining in the same color range.
This piece was likely made for a wealthy family, who not only had the funds necessary to commission a piece of such a size, but a home large enough in which to hang it (Newman, 62). An artisan from the Royal Aubusson workshop made it, modeling it after a design by Charles le Brun. At the very least, the types of individuals and talents involved in making this tapestry are known. Aubusson, a town in central southern France, had been producing tapestries since the sixteenth century, although the first looms were likely to have been set up during the fourteenth century. Aubusson was known for their lower quality tapestries, which could be compared to fairly convincing, but overall inferior, knockoffs of designer handbags one might find at a swap meet in modern times. The textile industry in Aubusson did not rise above the rather lowly reputation it had until the early 1700s. The weavers worked from images called cartoons, and generally from simplified copies of contemporary engravings, rather than intricate artworks (Fowle and Weardon, “Aubusson”).
Since tapestries were used as a sign of wealth and power in medieval times and depicted famous scenes, one may see comparable objects in the large prints of photos taken in exotic places around the world or commissioned portraits from artists. When a family has a print of a photo taken in the Alps or the amazon rainforest, it makes them appear to be cultured and wealthy enough to travel places, even if the image is merely a print ordered off of amazon.com and put in a frame bought from a local craft store. Likewise, a commissioned portrait (or even a photographed one made to look painted) carefully placed may make a household seem classier and more important than it might have seemed without it. Some people might choose to have such portraits done in classic formal poses, while others might pose nude on a bearskin rug in front of their fireplace. However, tapestries are still in use and being created today, although the work has been made much easier with the help of modern technology. Wealthy individuals might still have tapestries on the walls of their homes to show their wealth, especially if the tapestries in question are “vintage,” which tend to be worth more than their modern counterparts.
L'Embarquement de l'impératrice
Charles le Brun (1619-1690)
Born in Paris, France in February 1619, Charles le Brun was a painter as well as a designer. His father, Nicolas le Brun, was a master sculptor, and while young, Charles began following in his father’s footsteps by creating a slew of miniature sculptures. When he was old enough to be an apprentice, he began working under Simon Vouet, who was in the process of decorating Chancellor Séguier’s Hôtel de Bellegarde. le Brun was not content with the work he was being given under Vouet, and left the project, deciding to study paintings and antique sculptures. His oldest painting was of the crucifixion of Christ, made when he was eighteen years old. Two years later, he began receiving commissions from Cardinal Richelieu for the Palais-Royal in Paris. One artist saw his work and declared that “if they were the work of a young man, he would one day be one of the greatest painters of all time; and if they were by an older painter, he could justly call himself a most capable artist” (Constans, “Le Brun, Charles”).
After the election of the Spanish-favoring Pope Innocent X, le Brun returned to his home in Paris from Rome, where he had been living for the past few years making copies of other famous works. Several years later, in February 1647, he married Suzanne Butay. While not directly responsible for the creation of The Triumph of Alexander tapestry, he influenced its design. le Brun painted the Battles of Alexander the Great between 1665 and 1673, which is likely to have been the inspiration for The Triumph of Alexander. An artisan from the Royal Aubusson workshop was given a cartoon of le Brun’s art with which was used model the design of the tapestry. le Brun died in Paris in 1690 at the age of seventy one.
After the election of the Spanish-favoring Pope Innocent X, le Brun returned to his home in Paris from Rome, where he had been living for the past few years making copies of other famous works. Several years later, in February 1647, he married Suzanne Butay. While not directly responsible for the creation of The Triumph of Alexander tapestry, he influenced its design. le Brun painted the Battles of Alexander the Great between 1665 and 1673, which is likely to have been the inspiration for The Triumph of Alexander. An artisan from the Royal Aubusson workshop was given a cartoon of le Brun’s art with which was used model the design of the tapestry. le Brun died in Paris in 1690 at the age of seventy one.
Works Cited
Constans, Claire. "Le Brun, Charles." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 29 November 2015. <http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T049857>.
Fowle, Diana and Jennifer Wearden. "Aubusson." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 29 November 2015. <http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T004919>.
Newman, Paul B. Daily Life in the Middle Ages. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001.
Stoneman, Richard, ed. Book of Alexander the Great: A Life of the Conqueror. London: I.B. Tauris, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 20 November 2015.
"Symbolism of Colors, Associations of The Five Elements in Chinese Beliefs and Feng Shui." One World- Nations Online. One World- Nations Online, 1998. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/colours.htm>.
"Tapestry: L'Embarquement De L'impératrice, from L'Histoire De L'empereur De La Chine Series (Getty Museum)." The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 November 2015. <http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/127262/after-designs-by-guy-louis-vernansal-and-jean-baptiste-monnoyer-and-jean-baptiste-belin-de-fontenay-et-al-tapestry-l'embarquement-de-l'imperatrice-from-l'histoire-de-l'empereur-de-la-chine-series-french-design-about-1690-weave-about-1697-1705/>.
Fowle, Diana and Jennifer Wearden. "Aubusson." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 29 November 2015. <http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T004919>.
Newman, Paul B. Daily Life in the Middle Ages. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001.
Stoneman, Richard, ed. Book of Alexander the Great: A Life of the Conqueror. London: I.B. Tauris, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 20 November 2015.
"Symbolism of Colors, Associations of The Five Elements in Chinese Beliefs and Feng Shui." One World- Nations Online. One World- Nations Online, 1998. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/colours.htm>.
"Tapestry: L'Embarquement De L'impératrice, from L'Histoire De L'empereur De La Chine Series (Getty Museum)." The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 November 2015. <http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/127262/after-designs-by-guy-louis-vernansal-and-jean-baptiste-monnoyer-and-jean-baptiste-belin-de-fontenay-et-al-tapestry-l'embarquement-de-l'imperatrice-from-l'histoire-de-l'empereur-de-la-chine-series-french-design-about-1690-weave-about-1697-1705/>.