The Bird Catchers

Maker Beauvais Tapestry Manufactory (active 1664, combined with Gobelins 1940)

Designerdesigned by François Boucher (French, 1703 - 1770)

Makerunder the directorship of André Charlemagne Charron (French tapestry maker, active 1757 - 1780)

AfterCommissioned by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (French, 1686 - 1755)

Additional Title(s)

The Noble Pastoral

Collections

European Decorative Art Highlights

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Date1757-1760

Mediumwool and silk with linen lining

Dimensions130 x 228 in. (330.2 x 579.1 cm.)

DescriptionThe tapestry shows young, fashionable couples in the act of catching birds in front of the ruins of the ancient Temple of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth in Roman mythology.

SignedF. Boucher, 1755 in reverse

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

On view

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.

Portfolio or SeriesOne of six tapestries in the Noble Pastorale series designed by Francois Boucher.

Object number9.4