A Diplomatic Gift: April from the Lucas Months Tapestries

The Getty Museum recently acquired April, an important tapestry from the renowned Lucas Months series.

This collection of hangings captures the essence of aristocratic and agricultural life through the 12 zodiac signs. The tapestry features Taurus the bull at the bottom, symbolizing April as the commencement of spring. The textile illustrates various seasonal activities with remarkable precision.

Noble figures, dressed in refined and colorful attire, are depicted singing, playing musical instruments like the lute and hammered dulcimer, and weaving flower wreaths. The background reveals a meticulously rendered Flemish landscape, featuring a grand palace surrounded by a tranquil river. Shepherds, accompanied by a dog, lead a herd of sheep, while cows graze on the riverbank in front of a village. This composition highlights the beauty of the countryside and demonstrates the harmonious interaction between human activities and the natural environment.

Signed “AUDRAN” in the bottom right corner, the tapestry was woven in wool and silk under the direction of Michel Audran at the royal Gobelins manufacture in Paris from 1737 to 1740. The series title Lucas Months originates from a former attribution to the Dutch painter and engraver Lucas van Leyden (1494–1533), to whom the models of the months were initially credited. It is now believed that the series dates from the first half of the 16th century and was produced by an unknown artist dubbed the Master of the Lucas Months, who likely worked closely with Bernard van Orley. Copies of the original hangings have been part of the French royal collection since the time of François I (1494–1547). The series was highly esteemed and reproduced in a dozen editions under the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XVI. They feature borders in five different designs, tailored to their purpose and the prevailing tastes of the time. The Getty Museum’s April is part of the ninth suite and woven with the fourth border. This tapestry is in extraordinary condition, with exceptionally well-preserved colors testifying to the original richness of these works of art.

In 1746, Louis XV presented a magnificent set to Count Heinrich von Brühl, the prime minister to Augustus III and one of the most powerful and influential figures at the Saxon court. This gift was made on the occasion of the marriage of Maria Josepha of Saxony to Louis Ferdinand de Bourbon, dauphin of France, during which numerous diplomatic offerings and honors were exchanged between the French and Saxon courts. The tapestries were of immense value, not only due to the rarity of such gifts but also because of their high production costs. The present to Brühl was exceptional, as precious Gobelins tapestries were typically reserved for members of the royal family. However, Brühl held a unique position at court as a prominent patron of the arts and the chief inspector of the renowned Meissen porcelain manufactory. In exchange for the tapestries, a year later Brühl presented the French court with an extraordinary porcelain service of 120 figurines and 46 vases.

After Brühl’s death, the series was purchased by the royal family in 1768 to decorate the state apartments of the royal palace in Dresden but was sold by the Wettiner family in the 19th century. It was in the collection of Gabrielle Bénard Le Pontois when it was seized in Paris during the Nazi regime. April became part of the collection of high-ranking Nazi official Hermann Goering. In 1946, the tapestry was restituted, brought to the Louvre, and in 2022 finally returned to the heirs of Bénard Le Pontois.

A masterpiece of the highest French textile production, April now joins important French tapestries from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Getty collection. It stands as a testament to the exceptional quality of Gobelins weavings and bears historical significance as a diplomatic gift.