The tapestry is one of the Artemis series designed for Marie de Medici by Toussaint du Breuil. It was woven on the looms which were under the direction of Marc Comans and François de la Planche, and which later became the Gobelins state manufactory. The cartoons were repeated many times with different borders. Judging by the border, this piece was woven about 1611. The piece is a splendid example of the dramatic and monumental character of the productions of the pre-Gobelins looms. The sensitive feeling for decorative fitness and the reserve that are evident in French designs from the Gothic period on differentiate such a cartoon as this from the contemporary Flemish productions, usually so violent and exaggerated in scale, in drawing, and in emotional expression. For, though dramatic, the scene is restrained and the figures have an almost sculptural detachment. This quality is sustained by the fine architectural border, which is very typical of the Paris looms of this period. [Sidenote: Lent by _Jacques Seligmann & Company_.] Toussaint du Breuil (1561-1602) painted decorations in the Pavilions des Poêles at Fontainebleau, and also in the Galerie des Rois in the Louvre. Most of his work has perished. [Sidenote: 39, 40] GOBELINS, XVI CENTURY [Sidenote: _Wool and Silk._ No. 39: H. 7 _ft._ 9 _in._ W. 13 _ft._ 6 _in._ No. 40: H. 7 _ft._ 9 _in._ W. 11 _ft._ ] TWO SCENES FROM THE HISTORY OF CLEOPATRA: _In the first_ (_No._ 39) _Cleopatra attended by two maidens greets a young prince who is being introduced to her by a general_. _In the harbor the young stranger's ship is seen._ _In the second_ (_No._ 40) _Cleopatra welcomes a young man_. _An attendant holds a heavy canopy of silk. Beyond, a Greek temple is seen._ _Side borders, only, of classic decorations on a red ground with inset medallions showing the Judgment of Paris._ [Sidenote: Formerly in the Collection of Lord Lovelace.] The pieces both signed in the lower right corner--Lefébvre, with the fleur-de-lis and G. They do not, however, appear on the records of the Gobelins, so they must have been done by Lefébvre outside of the official work. [Sidenote: Lent by _William Baumgarten & Company_.] They are strong and fresh examples of the early work of the Gobelins weavers, and typical of the classicism of the late Renaissance in France. The requirements of mural decoration are met by the monumental character and sculptural poise of the figures, but at the same time the design is adapted to a decorative textile through the perfection of the detail and the richness of the colors. [Sidenote: 41] FLANDERS, BEGINNING OF XVII CENTURY [Sidenote: _Wool and Silk._ H. 7 _ft._ 10 _in._ W. 13 _ft._ 4 _in._ ] VERDURE: _A formal garden with fountains and a château in the distance and various birds in the foreground._ [Sidenote: Lent by _Mrs. C. Templeton Crocker_.]