28 - France. 19th century, Aubusson Tapestry 'The Game de Collin-Maillard'

France. 19th century, Aubusson Tapestry 'The Game de Collin-Maillard' Tapestry in wool and silk. Stage-like backdrop with a view of a wide river landscape with buildings, flanked on both sides by tall repoussoir trees and rose bushes. In the central foreground, a group of elegantly dressed figures play blind man's buff. Rolled, cream-colored acanthus leaves on a reddish-brown background form a border with a three-dimensional framing effect.Signed at the bottom right: MANUFACTURE ROYALE D'AUBUSSON 1765. 250 x 240 cm. From the estate of the actor Wolfgang Düring. The original design for this popular tapestry motif is attributed to various 18th-century painters, such as Nicolas-Jacques Juillard or Jean-Baptiste Huet. The name of the depicted game of blind man's buff traditionally derives from a 10th-century legend about the warrior Jean Colin Maillard from Huy. He is said to have been wounded during a siege and continued fighting blindfolded. This game, popular with children and in aristocratic circles of the 18th century, inspired artists and the tapestry weavers of Aubusson with its freshness and visual dynamism. Provenance: From the estate of the actor Wolfgang Düring.