Modern Tapestry Research
Jean Lurçat’s ‘Viroflay’ 1947-1949

Jean Lurçat ‘Viroflay’ 1947-1949, hand-woven tapestry in wool and cotton threads on low-warp loom. Executed by Atelier Tabard Frères et Soeurs, Aubusson. Private Collection. Image courtesy Morales Lam.

The above work was conserved by Aubusson tapestry specialists in early 2022 to determine aspects of condition prior to valuation. While the work underwent analysis, historical research on the image and artist confirmed two significant features of this night scene; the multi-story tree structure, and the minotaur creature.

The numbering of this work is hand-written in ink ‘TIRAGE N.1’, when compared with the tapestry Sceaux Robinson also by Jean Lurçat (1892-1966) numbered ‘TIRAGE N. 3’, a visual relationship can be established within the Tabard workshop (see bottom of page). Both works were titled directly after the French towns; Viroflay, and Le Plessis-Robinson, famously named after the Daniel Defoe novel Robinson Crusoe (April 1719).

A date range for the tapestry Viroflay was established to be between 1945-1949, which corresponded to the approximate date of the known weaving Sceaux Robinson of 1948.

Only six known tapestries by Lurçat were designed with the bull-like creature. Of the six, four tapestries, including Viroflay were woven by Tabard. Just two vertical-format tapestries with tree-house structures have surfaced on the market in recent decades. The single example with a combination of both images, coupled with a scale of just over eight feet in height (2.5 meters) suggests Viroflay is a significant weaving from Lurçat’s production with the Tabard workshop in the years immediately following the end of World War II.

Viroflay was found and maintained in fine condition with expected time aging on the face threads.

Modern Tapestry Valuation

Modern tapestry is possibly the toughest medium to value. The relative scale compared to alternate works of visual art determine that buyers be deliberate about installation. One possibility why tapestry works are difficult to estimate securely at auction is because the attribution and collaborative process of weaving is not easily comprehended by new viewers within the time of sale. Like the process of working on a loom, the perception of viewing a tapestry is revealed slowly and in-person.

The large-scale and fine quality of flat-weave weft-facing Aubusson tapestry was the chosen method for artists such as Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Fernand Léger and Marc Chagall to realize hand-woven works. Marc Chagall trusted only one workshop, that of Yvette Cauquil-Prince (1928-2005). The rising international market for tapestry in the past century was led by pioneering tapestry editors such as Marie Cuttoli (1879-1973) and Gloria Ross (1923-1998), who searched globally for workshops to execute their projects. Recent institutional interest in twentieth century tapestry has introduced new generations of art viewers to the medium and historical relevance of weaving workshops:

‘Nomadic Murals: Tapestries of the Modern Era’
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (2019)

‘Marie Cuttoli: The Modern Thread from Miró to Man Ray’
The Barnes Foundation (2020)

‘The Fabric of Modernity: Matisse, Picasso, Miró and French Tapestries’
Kunsthalle München (2020)

With many works of historical prominence in permanent collections, pieces available for acquisition at any one point in time are limited in quality and rarity. Scarcity in primary sources and fluid competition among serious potential buyers can lead to significant changes in price.

Woven and non-woven textiles can appear similar to many first time viewers who may not be familiar with the differences in techniques. Sale specialists may sometimes even use the term ‘tapestry’ and ‘woven’ for non-woven textiles in order to rapidly market a work, which makes it difficult to interpret the materials and construction, especially if digital images are the only viewing method. A broad interpretation of the term ‘tapestry’ for emerging collectors will introduce useful references for understanding the growing cultural interest in tapestry, textiles, and history of art & design.

A few benchmarks:

Alighiero Boetti Addizione (1982)

A single contemporary textile marketed as a ‘tapestry’ has achieved just under $3 million at auction with higher prices reported from private sales. The above work by Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994) is from an acclaimed series that challenged the concept of labor in artists’ workshops with respect to the history of pop art. Boetti’s attitude toward the workshops that executed his designs has been criticized for advancing Orientalist judgments about Central Asia. However, the popularity and reality in the contemporary art market, that textile values are competing with painting and sculpture, is a trend affecting all modern art investigations bringing newfound speculation with collecting behaviors that can outpace judgements on biographic truths. (Image courtesy Sotheby’s)

Jean Lurçat Le Geant (1929)

In 2019, the market for Jean Lurçat (1892-1966) tapestry established a record public price for the work ‘Le Geant’ achieving $93,750 against an estimate of $60,000 - $80,000. (Image courtesy Sotheby’s)

This continues a steady international rise in demand for Lurçat tapestry. Market competition in recent years has played a role in supporting sale values, sometimes realizing many-times the high-estimate, as seen in October 2021 when the tapestry 'Bernheim N.1’ woven by Atelier Tabard between 1947-1948, sold for $50,583, or nearly three-times the estimate of $11,500 - $17,400.

Subsequent public sales have proven that the current market is opening and exploring new values for important Lurçat works in alternate textile media. This could possibly be affected by public sale specialists marketing materials as ‘woven’ when they are in fact stitched.

The highest record value achieved for a work attributed solely to Jean Lurçat was established in October 2021—at the same sale mentioned above—not by a painting, but rather a four-panel textile screen from circa 1924. Originally commissioned by Marie Cuttoli, the work sold for €536,000 (US $619,080) smashing the estimate of €50,000 - €70,000.

Of note, a bergère chair designed by architect Pierre Chareau (1883-1950) that included needlework elements designed by Lurçat sold at the same October 2021 sale for €668,000 (US $772,208) against an estimate of €30,000 - €50,000. This outstanding collaborative work of modern design stands out in condition but also in subject. There is no doubt the focus of the chair, the timeless mythological symbols of birds and the mermaid, appeared as captivating to contemporary viewers as they did after the chair's completion in 1927.

Detail of Jean Lurçat needlework design on bergère ‘MF1002’ by Pierre Chareau.

Detail of Jean Lurçat hand woven tapestry ‘Bernheim N.1’ from 1947 by Tabard.

Jean Lurçat Gobi (c. 1950)

An appraisal conducted in August 2010 on the popular show Antiques Roadshow described one type of Jean Lurçat tapestry with a monstera plant, found to be $15,000. This tapestry was woven by the Manufacture Pinton around 1950, with a dark night background that is reminiscent of previously discussed works ‘Viroflay’ and ‘Bernheim N.1’. With more than a decade past since this last valuation, it would benefit the current owner of ‘Gobi’ to seek advice on how international market trends might have affected the value of their work. (Image courtesy PBS)

An appraiser is a professional authorized to conduct research and present a confidential opinion on pricing. However, appraisals are themselves not guarantees and do not offer financial protections between buyers and sellers. With appraisals art caretakers may know more about the market for their work, which is helpful in an expansive medium such as tapestry.

Jean Lurcat ‘Sceaux Robinson’, Atelier Tabard.
Private Collection. Image courtesy Jane Kahan Gallery.