After a design by Charles Le Brun (1619–1690)
Woven at the workshop of Etienne Le Blond (1652–1727) and Jean de La Croix (1628–1712) at the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins
France, Paris
Autumn, from The Seasons
INV-9669
After a design by Charles Le Brun (1619–1690)
Woven at the workshop of Etienne Le Blond (1652–1727) and Jean de La Croix (1628–1712) at the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins
France, Paris1700/20
Autumn, from The Seasons
After a design by Charles Le Brun (1619–1690) Woven at the workshop of Etienne Le Blond (1652–1727) and Jean de La Croix (1628–1712) at the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins France, Paris →weaving - tapestrytextile
Date
1700/20
Medium
Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave
Dimensions
530.3 × 380.8 cm (208 3/4 × 150 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of the Hearst Foundation in memory of William Randolph Hearst
Autumn belongs to the eight-piece series entitled The Seasons. Designed by Charles Le Brun, First Painter to Louis XIV of France, half of the compositions present two deities associated with a particular season holding a wreath encircling an activity typical of that time of year, with a different royal building visible in the background. In this design, Diana and Bacchus float on a cloud, holding a floral wreath featuring a stag hunt. Diana, the goddess of the hunt, is identifiable by the bow, arrow, spear, and horn at her feet, and is an appropriate presence in this depiction of the hunting season. Bacchus is the god of wine, which explains his presence in a representation of autumn, the time of the grape harvest. Grapes and other fruits and vegetables associated with fall can be seen in the foreground. The castle in the background is the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a royal retreat just outside Paris.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
Winter, from The Seasons
After a design by Charles Le Brun (French, 1619–1690) Woven at the workshop of Étienne Le Blond (French, 1652–1727) and Jean de La Croix (French, 1628–1712) at the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins France, Paris
The Offering of the Boar's Head from The Story of Meleager and Atalanta
After a design by Charles Le Brun (1619–1690) Woven at the workshop of Jan II Leyniers (1630–1686) Brussels
![The Petitions [right part] from The Story of Artemisia](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/a597facd-9306-2729-d5b6-d63025ba5928/full/400,/0/default.jpg)