Bordered textile depicting a festive scene on a gold background in yellow, red, green, and blue. Three poled structures linked by garland arches dominate the scene. At center, a person rides an elephant, a while at right, two people dance near a seated leopard. Two others dance at left.

The Elephant, from The Berain Grotesques Series

c. 1688/1732

After a design by Jean Baptiste Monnoyer (1636–1699) in the style of Jean I Berain (1640–1711); border design by Jean I Berain Woven at the Manufacture Royale de Beauvais under the direction of the Behagle family (directors, 1684–1711), the Filleul brothers (codirectors, 1711–22), or Noël-Antoine Mérou (director, 1722–33) France, Beauvais

France

Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave

Textiles