Autumn, from The Seasons
1700/20
Medium
Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave
Dimensions
530.3 × 380.8 cm (208 3/4 × 150 in.)
Classification
weaving - tapestry
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
96698
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Autumn belongs to the eight-piece series entitled The Seasons. Designed by Charles Le Brun, First Painter to Louis XIV of France, half of the compositions present two deities associated with a particular season holding a wreath encircling an activity typical of that time of year, with a different royal building visible in the background. In this design, Diana and Bacchus float on a cloud, holding a floral wreath featuring a stag hunt. Diana, the goddess of the hunt, is identifiable by the bow, a...
About the Artist
Charles Le Brun · 1619–1690
Charles Le Brun (1619–1690) was the most powerful artistic figure in seventeenth-century France, serving as the virtual dictator of official taste during the reign of Louis XIV and shaping the visual identity of the French Baroque in ways that resonated for generations. Born in Paris, he trained under the painter Simon Vouet before traveling to Rome in 1642, where he studied the works of Nicolas P...