18th-Century French Decorative Arts
May 2026
These objects represent the luxury decorative traditions of 18th-century France, unified by their use of refined materials (tapestry weave, Savonnerie knotted pile, carved wood), classical themes (Ovid's Metamorphoses, Seasons, mythological subjects), and their production as coordinated furnishing ensembles for elite French interiors.
48 objects · 5 institutions
Acis and Galatea Listening to the Song of Polyphemus
Rijksmuseum
c. 1680 - c. 1684
Allegory of Fire (Venus Visiting Vulcan)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
designed 1758–67, woven 1764–71
Arabesques from a set of three or more pieces
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1720–30
Armchair (1 of 4)
Cleveland Museum of Art
before 1717
Armchair (2 of 4)
Cleveland Museum of Art
before 1717
Armchair (3 of 4)
Cleveland Museum of Art
before 1717
Armchair (4 of 4)
Cleveland Museum of Art
before 1717
Autumn, from The Seasons
Art Institute of Chicago
1700/20
Autumn: Vintage Scene
Cleveland Museum of Art
designed c. 1535, woven mid- to late 1600s
Bear Hunt and Falconry from a Hunts series
Art Institute of Chicago
c. 1525
Chancellerie
Art Institute of Chicago
1718-21
Chancellerie
Art Institute of Chicago
1718/20
Chancellerie
Art Institute of Chicago
1718-21
Chinese Fair
Cleveland Museum of Art
1723–74
Elements: Air, Juno
Cleveland Museum of Art
1700s
Flora and Zephyrus (from Set of Ovid's Metamorphoses)
Cleveland Museum of Art
1704–1731
Four Seasons
Cleveland Museum of Art
designed c. 1535, woven mid- to late 1600s
Heraldic Tapestry
Cleveland Museum of Art
1700s
July
Art Institute of Chicago
before 1528
Louis XV Savonnerie Carpet with Royal Arms
Cleveland Museum of Art
c. 1740–50
Millefleur with Medallions
Art Institute of Chicago
1540-1560
Millefleurs Tapestry with Medici Coat of Arms
Cleveland Museum of Art
1520s
Model of a Frigate
Rijksmuseum
1798
Month of May: Scene of May Day Festival
Cleveland Museum of Art
1723–1774
Panel: Spring
Cleveland Museum of Art
c. 1715
Pomona Surprised by Vertumnus and Other Suitors from The Story of Vertumnus and Pomona
Art Institute of Chicago
1535-1540
Pygmalion from Stories from Ovid
Art Institute of Chicago
c. 1675
Savonnerie Panel: Autumn
Cleveland Museum of Art
c. 1717
Seasons: Autumn, Bacchus
Cleveland Museum of Art
1700s
Set of Four Armchairs and Settee
Cleveland Museum of Art
c. 1715
Set of Ovid's Metamorphoses
Cleveland Museum of Art
1704–31
Settee
Cleveland Museum of Art
before 1717
Spring: Fishing Scene
Cleveland Museum of Art
designed c. 1535, woven mid- to late 1600s
Summer: Harvest Scene
Cleveland Museum of Art
designed c. 1535, woven mid- to late 1600s
Tapestry
Art Institute of Chicago
1904/1914
Tapestry
Cleveland Museum of Art
c. 1760
Tapestry with Roxane and Atalide
Rijksmuseum
1776
Tapestry with the arms of Emperor Charles V
Rijksmuseum
c. 1540 - c. 1555
Tapestry: Don Quichotte guéri de sa folie par la sagesse, from L'Histoire de don Quichotte Series
GETTY
1773
Tapestry: L'Offrand à Bacchus from Les Grotesques Series
GETTY
about 1688–1732
Tapestry: Portière aux Armes de France
GETTY
designed 1727, woven about 1730–1740
Tapestry: Vénus aux forges de Vulcain, from Les Tentures de François Boucher Series
GETTY
1775–1778
Tapestry: Vénus sortant des eaux, from Les Tentures de François Boucher Series
GETTY
1775–1776
The Crossing of the Granicus from The Story of Alexander the Great
Art Institute of Chicago
1619
The Month of July/The Sign of Leo, from The Grotesque Months
Art Institute of Chicago
c. 1726
The Month of June/The Sign of Cancer, from The Grotesque Months
Art Institute of Chicago
c. 1726
The Stag Hunt, from Pastoral Hunting Scenes
Art Institute of Chicago
c. 1775
Winter, from The Seasons
Art Institute of Chicago
1700/20