‘Woven Gold’ Highlights 18th Century French Opulence at The Getty

Lucy Tiven

Loaned from the French state, The Getty’s “Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV” showcases a selection of colorful, glittering tapestries created for the French royal court. Created in workshops across Europe, these handwoven monumental hangings express the status, power, wealth and taste of their patron and collector, French King Louis XIV.

Louis XIV reigned from 1643 to 1715. During this period, the art of tapestry weaving flourished as “The Sun King” commissioned opulent tapestries after works by Italian painter Raphael, Peter Paul Rubens and others. These pieces, their materiality and formal qualities, speak not merely to aesthetic preference but also serve as historical documentation of political realities of 17th and 18th century France.

The exclusive international exhibition follows The Getty’s June to September show “A Kingdom of Images: French Prints in the Age of Louis XIV, 1660–1715,” displaying prints and engravings commissioned by Louis XIV, while shedding light on their diplomatic function.

Three hundred years after the death of their patron, “Woven Gold” is the first major exhibition of tapestries in the western United States in the last 40 years with 11 of the 15 tapestries having never been shown in the United States.

In addition to the 15 tapestries, the bulk of which are on loan from the Mobilier National, the exhibition includes preparatory drawings, related prints and a life-sized oil cartoon.

Curated by Charissa Bremer-David, “Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV” was organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum in association with the Mobilier National et les Manufactures Nationales des Gobelins, de Beauvais et de la Savonnerie.

“Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV” will be on view at the Getty from Dec. 15, 2015 – May 1, 2016.