Tapestry / 12580

An evocative Tapestry in wool, 391 x 287 cm, this antique rug depicts a pictorial woodland scene within a generous floral border. A restrained palette of brown, gold and neutral is enlivened by softened green and faded blue accents; the colours have mellowed with time. Surface abrasion and even fading create a painterly patina across the ground while border cartouches remain legible. Circa 1720 - 1795. The work reads as a tactile fragment of European textile craft, quietly worn and composed, its medium distress reinforcing a sense of long use and history.