Tapestry

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This article is about the textile art. For other uses see Tapestry (disambiguation).

A tapestry cushion, depicting pansies

Tapestry is a form of textile art. It is woven by hand on a weaving-loom. It is weft-faced weaving, which means that all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike cloth weaving where both the warp and the weft threads are visible. In this way, a colourful pattern or image is created. Most weavers use a naturally based warp thread such as linen or cotton. The weft threads are usually wool or cotton, but may include silk, wool, gold or silver, or other alternatives.

Both craftsmen and artists have produced tapestries. The 'blueprints' on cardboard (also known as 'tapestry cartoons') were made by a famous artist, while the tapestries themselves were made by the craftsmen.

The term is commonly (though incorrectly) applied to embroidered items made in canvas work or needlepoint, (such as the nice example of needlepoint shown in the picture at right, which is not technically a tapestry) probably because this type of embroidery mimics the woven effect.

1 Function
2 Iconography
3 Historical development
4 Famous tapestries
5 Bibliography
6 External links

[edit] Function

The success of the decorative tapestry can be partially explained by its portability. Kings and noblemen could transport the tapestry from one residence to another. In churches, it could be displayed on special occasions. Also it was used it was often used in castles on the floors and drapped on the walls to keep the cold out during winter.

[edit] Iconography

The iconography of most Western tapestries goes back to written sources, the Bible and Ovid's Metamorphoses being two popular choices.

Apart from the religious and mythological images, hunting scenes are the subject of many tapestries produced for indoor decoration.

[edit] Historical development

Greek soldier depicted in the Sampul tapestry, woollen wall hanging, 3rd-2nd century BCE, Sampul, Urumqi Xinjiang Museum.

Tapestry has been known since at least Hellenistic times. Samples of Greek tapestry have been found preserved in the desert of Tarim Basin dating from the 3rd-2nd century BCE.

Tapestry found a new stage in Europe since the early fourteenth century. The first wave of production originated from Germany and Switzerland. Over time, the market expanded to France and the Netherlands.

A 16th century Flemish mille-fleur tapestry in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, Arras, France was a thriving textile town. The industry specialised in fine wool tapestries which were sold to decorate palaces and castles all over Europe. Few of these tapestries survived the French Revolution as hundreds were burnt in to recover the gold thread that was often woven into them. Arras is still used to refer to a rich tapestry no matter where it was woven.

By the 16th century, Flanders had become the centre of European tapestry production. In the 17th century Flemish tapestries were arguably the most important productions, with many specimens of this era still extant demonstating the intricate detail of pattern and colour.

LE TAPIS, les provenance l'art l'histoire, Enza milanesi : no one knows how orwhy carpets were invented. two theories are however viable. one believes nomades invented them because they were easy to transport and it saved their percious animals from being sacrificed for their skin.

[edit] Famous tapestries

"Hestia full of Blessings" Egypt, 6th century tapestry in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection

The Sampul tapestry, woollen wall hanging, 3rd-2nd century BCE, Sampul, Urumqi Xinjiang Museum.
The Hestia Tapestry, 6th century, Egypt, Dumbarton Oaks Collection.
The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events surrounding the Battle of Hastings; note that this is not, strictly speaking, a tapestry, but is instead embroidery.
The six-part piece La Dame à la Licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn), stored in l'Hôtel de Cluny, Paris.
The Hunt of the Unicorn is a seven piece tapestry from 1495 to 1505, currently displayed at the The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The New World Tapestry is a 267 feet long tapestry which depicts the colonisation of the Americas between 1583 and 1648, currently displayed at the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol.