An exceptional display piece of brocade upholstery commissioned for the Emperor’s bedroom at the Palace of Versailles, Manufacture Grand-Frères, 1811–1813, part of a panel of wallhanging and matching border in lampas on a white satin ground, brocaded with gold thread, chenille and polychrome silk. The design, set against a lilac background, features a profuse bouquet of poppies at the centre of a laurel wreath, rendered in reserve within a diamond-shaped cameo. It took eighteen months to weave this brocade, described as ‘very rich’ in the archives of the Imperial Furnishings. Intended to form the entire décor of the Emperor’s bedroom at Versailles – including wall hangings, curtain panels, valances and bed, these fabrics were never used and remained in the Garde-Meuble before being used to furnish the Duchess of Angoulême’s bedroom at the Tuileries. Piece from the beginning and end of the weave, 78 x 76.5 cm. Matching border with two bands sewn onto the main piece, 72.5 x 37 cm. Handwritten label sewn onto the top: “P1758, white 5/8 satin, double-backed with purple, embossed with gold, black silk and chenille”. Later Tassinari label with details The Musée des Tissus in Lyon and the Mobilier National hold other samples of this piece of furniture (Inv. 24813/1 and 2) and GMMP 9/009. Bibliography Coural (J.), *Soieries de Lyon: Imperial Commissions*, Musée des Tissus, Lyon, 1982, cat. no. 6.