A Flemish Mythological Tapestry Depicting the Story of Hero and Leander
18th Century
7 feet 9 inches x 7 feet 11 1/2 inches.
Property from the Estate of Joseph Desloge Sr., Florissant, Missouri

Provenance:
Acquired in 1942, thence by family descent to the present owner

Joseph Desloge Sr. (1889-1971), born in St. Louis, Missouri, was the grandson of Firmin Rene Desloge (1803-1856), a French immigrant and prominent U.S. businessman who settled in Missouri in 1823. Among Firmin Desloge's multiple business ventures was a lead mining operation that eventually became the Desloge Consolidated Lead Company, one of the largest lead mining companies in the United States. In furtherance of his family's industrial legacy, Joseph Desloge Sr. earned a degree in electrical engineering from MIT in 1912 and went on to establish the Minerva Oil Company, Killark Manufacturing Company, Louisiana Manufacturing Company and the Atlas Manufacturing Company.

During World War I, Joseph served as an officer in the French artillery. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre for acts of valor during the Battle of Vouziers in Northern France. Upon his return from the War in 1926, Joseph built a French-style chateau in Florissant, Missouri on a remote wooded plot along the Missouri River. Named Vouziers in commemoration of the Battle of Vouziers, the 10-bedroom mansion featured a 400 square foot ballroom, a rose marble staircase and a Gothic style reading room with carved wood paneling salvaged from an English parsonage. It further housed Joseph's collection of 18th and 19th century European decorative arts, from which the present lot derives. Vouziers was purchased in 1996 and has since been converted to the Boeing Leadership Center.

Professionally conserved in 1986 by the Textile Conservation Workshop, South Salem, New York. A conservation report is available. Please request a complete condition report.
For condition inquiries please contact fdcr@hindmanauctions.com.