The Parrot from a set of the Italian Village Scenes
Original title: The Parrot from a set of the Italian Village Scenes
kurzbeschreibung
A parrot perched on a branch fills this tapestry fragment from the set of Italian Village Scenes. François Boucher designed the cartoon between 1734 and 1736, and the piece was woven in wool and silk in 1762. It measures 279.4 cm high and 53.3 cm wide.
Description
Settled on a branch, the parrot is enclosed by dense foliage. Above and around it opens a wooded landscape seen from on high, where trees and shrubs recede in layers. The tall, narrow format lets the branches climb upward and fixes the bird as the anchor point. Greys dominate the palette, and the light falls evenly, without hard shadows. The manner is Baroque, and the natural detail is observed with care.
Context
Boucher, a leading painter of the French Rococo who was also known for tapestry designs, created the Italian Village Scenes. The designs date from the 1730s, yet this piece was woven only in 1762, in a Paris workshop. Tapestries of this kind hung in aristocratic châteaux and answered the period's taste for pastoral subjects. The parrot belonged to a larger set covering various scenes of Italian country life.
Impact
Even, quiet lighting and the vertical arrangement draw the eye to the parrot at the middle. The richly detailed nature study feels dense and almost botanical in its precision, as is typical of Boucher's designs. Restricting the palette to greys gives the image a reserved elegance that underlines its Baroque character.
Technique
The fragment is woven in wool and silk at 21 to 23 warps per inch (8 to 9 per cm). This fine weave allows leaves and plumage to be rendered precisely. Wool for the ground and silk for accents follow the usual practice of high-quality eighteenth-century tapestry.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)