Vintage Printed Panel with Vignettes Four Seasons 1635 by Abraham Bosse French: C1960s
Item Details.
1960s printed textile panel by S. M. Hexter Company has four vignettes of The Four Seasons 1635 by Abraham Bosse (French, 1602-1676).
Screen printed on 100% cotton in crisp black on creamy off white. These would make four pillow fronts (or framed as panels) that would work well hung together home decor or in a shop as a collection for sale.
Le Printemps depicts a couple in courtship with a palatial landscape behind.
L'este depicts a marriage ceremony and couples talking and gazing upon village life.
L'avtone depicts a sumptuous feast under grape vines devolving into raucous play and the effects of Bacchus.
L'hyver depicts a family gathered close around a roaring fire inside a well-appointed hall as children eat and servants assist.
Each has so many rich interior and architectural details defining the spaces of the vignettes.
SIZE: 47" wide x 36.5" long. Each motif is 23" wide by 18" long.
CONDITION: Very good. The nature of this as a sample does mean that both the top and the bottom of the entire piece is cut rather close. For pillows, or framing them as art, I don't see this as a problem as the entire words still show for the bottom two — Le Printemps and L'este — and the architectural border at the top is in tact to that border. Small adjustments around each piece will allow you to create a cohesive look with each vignette.
On Abraham Bosse, according to Wikipedia, "Roughly 1600 etchings are attributed to him, with subjects including: daily life, religion, literature, fashion, technology, and science.[1] Most of his output was illustrations for books, but many were also sold separately." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Bosse
Maker: S. M. Hexter Company was founded in Columbus, Ohio likely in the early 20th century but possibly having grown out of other textile and clothier businesses by earlier members of the Hexter family. While little is available online about this company, it's clear that they had a strong influence in the high-end 20th century American upholstery textiles market though they weren't without controversy, having been challenged in court over allegations of unfair business practices. Several S. M. Hexter Company pieces were in former exhibits/permanent collections at MoMa.