A History of Tapestries

This finely woven tapestry wall hanging features a classic image of a unicorn dipping his horn to purify fountain, surrounded by onlookers and other creatures.  The original, from the The Hunt of the Unicorn series, is circa 1495-1505, can be seen at the The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Tapestries can be both art and literature, in the form of woven textiles. Contemporary wall tapestries are usually woven on jacquard looms and can utilize between nine and seventeen miles of thread in each design. The color palates of the warp and weft threads work in concert to achieve a broad range of colors on the face of the tapestry. 

Tapestries have texture not found in any other art form. The combination of the thread colors and weaves create a unique art experience that changes with each viewing angle. 

In tapestry weaving, weft yarns are typically discontinuous; the artisan interlaces each colored weft back and forth in its own small pattern area. It is a plain weft-faced weave having weft threads of different colours worked over portions of the warp to form the design.

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, gold, silver, or other alternatives.

What has made Tapestries such a popular and distinctive choice for hundreds of years?

Le Corbusier once called tapestries "nomadic murals" because noble folk could easily roll up their artworks and transport them from place to place, or could pull out special tapestries for display only on special occasions. This tradition continues, even today, which is attested to by the popularity of holiday-themed tapestries. 

Tapestries Through The Ages

Tapestries have been around for centuries (samples dating back from the third century, B.C., have been found in the Tarim Basin), however Tapestries did not reach their true potential as a sought-after artform until the early 14th centure.  Originally being crafted in Germany and Switzerland, the tradition spread, over time, to France and the Netherlands.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, Arras, France was a thriving textile town. 

At that time, the entire industry was based on quality wool tapestries which were sold exclusively to decorate palaces and castles across Europe.  Owning a tapestry was considered by many to be a status symbol.  

After the French Revolution, the centre of excellence for tapestry making shifted to Flanders,the towns of Oudenaarde, Brussels,Geraardsbergen and Enghein.  By the 17th century Flemish tapestries were considered to be the most important productions, because of the intricate details in both pattern and colour.

In the 19th century, through the now-famous William Morris, the art of tapestry weaving was reborn.  Morris and Company specialized in a series of tapestries for home and ecclesiastical uses (see below two William Morris' famous tapestries) 

The 20th, now, the 21st century tapestry is created with a mix of past and present art.

Tapestry Wall Hangings have experienced a rebirth in the 21st century, as many homeowners are looking at them as an alternative to traditional wall decor options. The tactile nature of tapestries, combined with their rich history, has created a warm and stunning appeal for home-owners.

Today's tapestries are also available in a wide variety of contemporary and traditional designs, ranging from traditional recreations based on the tapestries of old, including gothic wall hangings, French Baroque and William Morris' works to comtempoary tapestries that bring the ancient art form into their modern lifestyle. 

For some, the main appeal of traditional tapestries is their connection with history, a retelling of the story behind the artwork.... The combination of art and history can be irresistible to art lovers who are looking for more depth in their home decor choices.

Reproductions of these famous, traditional tapestries are proving very popular with today's art lover. These tapestry recreations capture the drama of historical art, perfectly blending it with modern weaving methods. The end result is often very faithful to the original artists' vision, with all the durability and appeal of modern fabrics.

Traditional tapestry designs often surprise contemporary art lovers with their attention to detail, their ability to capture emotion and their exploration of timeless themes such as love and romance.

Others are looking at the capability of the art form to produce stunning contemporary tapestries that put a new spin on an ancient artform. 

Combining bold colors and striking designs with the ancient art form of tapestry weaving produces artworks like nothing seen before. These contemporary tapestry wall hangings showcase the tactile advantages of tapestry wall hangings, while providing a contemporary visual appeal. 

Recently, artists have begun licensing their works for recreation as a tapestry wall hanging, including such artists as Natasha Wescoat, Max Hayslette, Nancy O'Toole and Will Rafuse... just to name a few. 

Florals and landscapes and cityscapes are strong themes in today's contemporary fine art tapestries, while others are created to provide a unique theme, such as playing cards, billiards or fashion. 

Jacquard Looms, the modern method of an ancient artform

The term tapestry is also used to describe weft-faced textiles made on Jacquard looms. Until the 1990s, tapestry upholstery fabrics and reproductions of the famous tapestries of the Middle Ages were the most well-known products of Jacquard looms. However, since the resurgence of the tapestry market, and the growth of various styles of tapestry wall hangings, pillows and throws, tapestries have re-entered the world of fine art due to a revival of the computerized Jacquard process.

Typically, tapestries are translated from the original design via a process resembling paint-by-numbers: a cartoon is divided into regions, each of which is assigned a solid color based on a standard palette. However, in Jacquard weaving, the repeating series of multicolored warp and weft threads can be used to create colors that are optically blended – i.e., the human eye apprehends the threads’ combination of values as a single color. This method can be likened to pointillism, a style of painting in which tiny dots or points placed in close proximity are optically blended as described above. 

  .... this closeup is just a small piece of the larger image... 

In fact, pointillism originated from discoveries made in the tapestry medium: the style’s emergence in the 19th century can be traced to the influence of Michel Eugène Chevreul, a French chemist responsible for developing the color wheel of primary and intermediary hues. 

Just a Few of the Most Famous Tapestries

	Tapestry with monogram "SA" of King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland, Brussels, c. 1555. Part of famous Jagiellonian Tapestries, also known as the Wawel Tapestries or Wawel Arrases.
	The Sampul tapestry, a relic of one of the oldest known woollen wall hanging, estimated to be from the second to third century B.C.
	The Hestia Tapestry, 6th century, Egypt, Dumbarton Oaks Collection.
	The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events surrounding the Battle of Hastings; although the original piece is technically considered to be a piece of embroidery (not a tapestry), it has since been recreated as a tapestry by many of today's tapestry makers. In 2007, the tapestry was listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.
	William Morris' Arboretum
	The Apocalypse Tapestry is the longest tapestry in the world, and depicts scenes from the Book of Revelation. It was woven between 1373 and 1382. Originally 140m (459ft), the surviving 100m are displayed in the Château d'Angers, in Angers.
	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.

Sources:

• Campbell, Thomas P. Henry VIII and the Art of Majesty: Tapestries at the Tudor Court, Yale University Press, 2007, ISBN 9780300122343
• Russell, Carol K. Tapestry Handbook. The Next Generation, Schiffer Publ. Ltd.,Atglen,PA. 2007, ISBN 978-0-7643-2756-8
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry