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The Bird Catchers

The Bird Catchers

Maker (active 1664, combined with Gobelins 1940)
Maker (French, 1703 - 1770)
Maker (French)
After (French, 1686 - 1755)
Additional Title(s)
  • The Noble Pastoral
  • La Pipée aux Oiseaux
ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS
Date1757-1760
Mediumwool and silk with linen lining
Dimensions130 x 228 in. (330.2 x 579.1 cm.)
DescriptionTapestry shows male and female figures in a pastoral setting surrounded by birds in cages.
SignedF. Boucher, 1755 in reverse
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Label TextThis set of five tapestries was woven by order of the French crown on behalf of Louis XV. The pastoral scenes, depicting pleasurable outdoor activities such as picnics and music-making, were popular subjects among the French elite. The Beauvais manufactory wove thirteen separate commissions of full or partial sets of The Noble Pastoral, but today The Huntington’s set is the only one to remain intact. Purchased by Henry Huntington in 1909, at Arabella’s request, they were his first major expenditure on art.
Status
On view
Object number9.4
Flute Player
Flute Player
Beauvais Tapestry Manufactory
1757-1760
Object number: 9.2
Fountain of Love
Fountain of Love
Beauvais Tapestry Manufactory
1757-1760
Object number: 9.1
The Fishermaid
The Fishermaid
Beauvais Tapestry Manufactory
1757-1760
Object number: 9.3
The Luncheon
The Luncheon
Beauvais Tapestry Manufactory
1757-1760
Object number: 9.5
The Charlatan/The Magic Lantern
The Charlatan/The Magic Lantern
Beauvais Tapestry Manufactory
ca. 1738-1754
Object number: 27.127
Tapestry-Covered Firescreen
Tapestry-Covered Firescreen
Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory
1738-1740 or 1767; frame, 1909-1910.
Object number: 9.32
Tapestry-Covered Chair
Tapestry-Covered Chair
Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory
Tapestry woven covers ca. 1779; frames of nineteenth-century before 1892; modern
Object number: 9.27
Tapestry-Covered Chair
Tapestry-Covered Chair
Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory
tapestry covers: mid 18th Century; chair frames: 19th Century
Object number: 9.29
Tapestry-Covered Settee
Tapestry-Covered Settee
Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory
Tapestry woven covers ca. 1779; frames of nineteenth-century before 1892; modern
Object number: 9.30
Tapestry-Covered Settee
Tapestry-Covered Settee
Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory
Tapestry woven covers ca. 1779; frames of nineteenth-century before 1892; modern
Object number: 9.31
Tapestry-Covered Chair
Tapestry-Covered Chair
Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory
Tapestry woven covers ca. 1779; frames of nineteenth-century before 1892; modern
Object number: 9.20
Tapestry-Covered Chair
Tapestry-Covered Chair
Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory
Tapestry woven covers ca. 1779; frames of nineteenth-century before 1892; modern
Object number: 9.21