This exceptional high warp or haute-lisse work was made at the Manufactory of the Galerie du Louvre, founded by Henry IV of France in 1608. In 1661, during the reign of King Louis XIV the factory was taken over by the Manufacture des Gobelins.
 
The cartoon corresponding to this fabric, part of an ensemble devoted to “Odysseus’ Tasks”, reproduces the paintings made by Simon Vouet (1590-1649) for the upper gallery of the Hôtel Boullion, a model that was later replicated at Chambord Castle. The artist decorated that space with fifteen paintings inspired by The Odyssey, framed by stuccoes drawn by the sculptor Jacques Sarrazin (1588-1660).
 
The scene depicts Odysseus when, travelling back to Ithaca after his victory in Troy, he finds himself driven by the winds to the island of Ogygia of which the nymph Calypso is queen.
 
The unusual width of the of the reproduces the stucco frame surrounding the painting that was used as a model, filled with Baroque medallions, cameos, satyrs and

 putti 

plural of the Italian word putto. They are little angel-like children or cherubs generally used as ornamental motifs; they are agile, skilful and good-natured beings who help people reach heaven. They sit on the cornices of buildings playing musical instruments, or fly about with banners bearing messages. They were particularly popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Italy and Spain.

interlocked by flower garlands tied with ribbons. The central cartouches represent triumphs, shields and human figures.

Flemish manufactories always exerted a great influence on their French counterparts, setting trends both in the models for cartoons and in dyes, which is the reason why the French Crown encouraged the best Flemish master weavers to settle in France.