Tapestry Room from Croome Court

Art Historical Context

Step into the opulent Tapestry Room from Croome Court, a of 18th-century grandeur crafted between 1763 and 1771. Originally adorning the Worcestershire estate of the Earls of Coventry, this room embodies the neoclassical vision of architect Robert and his collaborators, including furniture makers John Mayhew and William Ince. It masterfully blends British craftsmanship—evident in the intricate plasterwork, pine, and mahogany paneling by Joseph Rose—with luxurious French tapestries from prestigious Manufacture Nationale des Gobel in Paris, likely designed by the Rococo master François Boucher. The room's lavish materials tell a story of transatlantic elegance: bronze-gilt accents, veined marble, rare lapis lazuli, and steel details frame sumptuous wool-and-silk tapestries woven at 22-24 warps per inch for extraordinary detail. Vibrant scenes burst with flowers, birds, men, women, and playful putti, capturing the era's love for pastoral fantasy and mythological whimsy. At over 27 feet high and 22 feet wide, its scale immerses visitors in aristocratic splendor. A gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in 1958, this room highlights the cultural exchange between Britain and France during the Enlightenment, showcasing how Enlightenment ideals of harmony and luxury shaped elite interiors. Today, it invites us to marvel at the collaborative genius that turned a country house salon into timeless decorative art.

About the Artist

Joseph Rose|François Boucher|Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins|Maurice Jacques|Louis Tessier|John Mayhew|William Ince|Jacques Neilson|Jacques Germain Soufflot|Joseph Wilton|John Wildsmith|Thomas Blockley|Sefferin Alken|Peter Langlois|John Hobcraft|Ince and Mayhew|Robert Adam ( | | |British, Scottish) · 1745 |1700 | |1728 –1799 |1800 | |1792

1745–1799| |London|British, Kirkcaldy, Scotland 1728–1792 London