The word "tapestry" is an ancient one, going back at least to the Greek word "tapetion". Archaeologists have unearthed actual remnants of Greek tapestries that have been dated to the 3rd century B.C. The ancient Egyptians were also known to make tapestries, as shown in palace paintings circa 3000 B.C. Tapestry production in the West declined and virtually disappeared until the 8th century. At that time, the Moors, as part of establishing a civilization in Spain, re-introduced the practice. Gradually, France and the Netherlands developed industries of their own and, as a result, both became major producers of European tapestries.
European tapestries produced during the Middle Ages and Renaissance were designed for use in large buildings such as churches and castles. Because these tapestries were, first and foremost, extravagant works of art, it is easy to overlook their functional nature. They blocked drafts around windows, doors and beds and served as room dividers. Tapestry's pliable fabrication made it easy to roll them up. Thus, they could be easily taken from place to place or kept in reserve for special occasions. Most of the tapestries commissioned by monarchs of the time were designed to shown victory in battle, tournaments and hunting. The church commissioned works, often in sets, depicting people and stories from the Bible. This was especially useful in a time when much of the population was illiterate.
European wall tapestries were made in workshops in the center of town or region. Creation of these works necessitated the development of a highly skilled artisan class of weavers who served apprenticeships under a master weavers. Some workshops were formed and run by groups related by blood or marriage and shared the artisan weavers tradition. One famous one is the Manufacture des Gobelins Tapestry Factory in Paris that was established by the Royalty. The factory was originally conceived to provide the royal court of Louis VIV with tapestries of the monarch's own image.
From essentially 1500 to 1750 is considered the Golden Age of European tapestry production. During these Middle Ages, it was common for weavers to use artistic interpretation freely in creating tapestries from cartoons or working sketches. By the 16th century tapestry production was a highly regulated, rigidly controlled industry. The designs or "cartoons" were paintings and were strictly copied by the weavers into the tapestries they wove. One notable of ten tapestries created from the cartoons by Rafael, are the Acts of the Apostles and hang in the Sistine Chapel. Most impressive works and the exquisite detail as well as color equaled any paintings of the time.
Even at its height, the European tapestry industry was not immune to the events shaping the social and political climate. Netherlands' involvement in the Eighty Years War with Spain (1568-1648) caused the center of tapestry production to shift away from that country. Many of its most talented artists and weavers fled to other parts of Europe such as Britain, Italy and France. The new workshops established by Flemish immigrants was of great benefit to tapestry production in these countries. Tapestries were sought after as decorations for many of the royal courts of these place. Following the fashion started by Louis XIV of France, Cosimo de' Medici of Florence ordered many tapestries made.
Although tapestry production in Netherlands, now centered mainly in Brussels, did recover and continue producing high-quality weavings, many workshops, especially in Paris, could and did produce tapestries to rival any coming from the Low Countries. However, France's own period of revolution (1789-1799) eventually decimated the tapestry industry there. The deposing of the monarch and the ruin of the aristocracy robbed tapestry makers of their primary clients. In addition, existing tapestries were looked on as despised symbols of the old regime and were often deliberately vandalized. Many European tapestries, because they contained gold as well as lesser metals, were burned in order to re-purpose these materials as currency or as a component of bullets, respectively.
During the beginning of the eighteenth century, European tapestries were still in high demand. The industry was still controlled by the well-established centers in Netherlands and France, but new royal workshops were begun such as the ones created by Peter the Great (St. Petersburg) and Philip V (Madrid). Royal patronage helped to support industries in Germany and Italy as well. However, the advent of the middle class brought with it a demand for more affordable tapestries. Many of the major workshops turned their production increasingly toward the manufacture of coarser, less expensive tapestries. Some factories, like Aubusson in France, were well-known for creating adaptations of the designs of popular masters, like Boucher.
Toward the end of the eighteenth century, the trend in interior design turned increasingly toward smaller, more affordable elements such as paneling, drapes, painting, mirrors and furniture. Deemed cumbersome and costly, tapestries began to rapidly decline in popularity. As a result, production at the royal tapestry workshops in Netherlands and France declined sharply. By the end of the eighteenth century, production of traditional European tapestries was teetering on the brink of extinction. In England, a national effort was made to save their tapestry industry, to no avail. As the nineteenth century came to a close, tapestry manufacture had come to almost a complete halt.
The beginning of the twentieth century saw the Industrial Revolution and the automation of textile production. At the end of the nineteenth century, an association of artists in England calling themselves the Arts and Crafts movement came together with the purpose of maintaining the authentic methods of crafts production such as tapestries. William Morris, the leader of the English movement, established a tapestry factory near London to produce the designs of himself, William Crane and Sir Edward Burne-Jones. In France, painter Jean Lurat, was also involved in the resurgence of tapestry production. Although many of his contemporaries like Picasso, Braque and Mir were producing cartoons to be copied as tapestries, Lurat, re-envisioned the tapestry craft as an art form in its own right rather than subordinate to painting. His vision and dedication to this cause helped tapestry reinvent itself to become the dynamic art form it is today. - 16492
European tapestries produced during the Middle Ages and Renaissance were designed for use in large buildings such as churches and castles. Because these tapestries were, first and foremost, extravagant works of art, it is easy to overlook their functional nature. They blocked drafts around windows, doors and beds and served as room dividers. Tapestry's pliable fabrication made it easy to roll them up. Thus, they could be easily taken from place to place or kept in reserve for special occasions. Most of the tapestries commissioned by monarchs of the time were designed to shown victory in battle, tournaments and hunting. The church commissioned works, often in sets, depicting people and stories from the Bible. This was especially useful in a time when much of the population was illiterate.
European wall tapestries were made in workshops in the center of town or region. Creation of these works necessitated the development of a highly skilled artisan class of weavers who served apprenticeships under a master weavers. Some workshops were formed and run by groups related by blood or marriage and shared the artisan weavers tradition. One famous one is the Manufacture des Gobelins Tapestry Factory in Paris that was established by the Royalty. The factory was originally conceived to provide the royal court of Louis VIV with tapestries of the monarch's own image.
From essentially 1500 to 1750 is considered the Golden Age of European tapestry production. During these Middle Ages, it was common for weavers to use artistic interpretation freely in creating tapestries from cartoons or working sketches. By the 16th century tapestry production was a highly regulated, rigidly controlled industry. The designs or "cartoons" were paintings and were strictly copied by the weavers into the tapestries they wove. One notable of ten tapestries created from the cartoons by Rafael, are the Acts of the Apostles and hang in the Sistine Chapel. Most impressive works and the exquisite detail as well as color equaled any paintings of the time.
Even at its height, the European tapestry industry was not immune to the events shaping the social and political climate. Netherlands' involvement in the Eighty Years War with Spain (1568-1648) caused the center of tapestry production to shift away from that country. Many of its most talented artists and weavers fled to other parts of Europe such as Britain, Italy and France. The new workshops established by Flemish immigrants was of great benefit to tapestry production in these countries. Tapestries were sought after as decorations for many of the royal courts of these place. Following the fashion started by Louis XIV of France, Cosimo de' Medici of Florence ordered many tapestries made.
Although tapestry production in Netherlands, now centered mainly in Brussels, did recover and continue producing high-quality weavings, many workshops, especially in Paris, could and did produce tapestries to rival any coming from the Low Countries. However, France's own period of revolution (1789-1799) eventually decimated the tapestry industry there. The deposing of the monarch and the ruin of the aristocracy robbed tapestry makers of their primary clients. In addition, existing tapestries were looked on as despised symbols of the old regime and were often deliberately vandalized. Many European tapestries, because they contained gold as well as lesser metals, were burned in order to re-purpose these materials as currency or as a component of bullets, respectively.
During the beginning of the eighteenth century, European tapestries were still in high demand. The industry was still controlled by the well-established centers in Netherlands and France, but new royal workshops were begun such as the ones created by Peter the Great (St. Petersburg) and Philip V (Madrid). Royal patronage helped to support industries in Germany and Italy as well. However, the advent of the middle class brought with it a demand for more affordable tapestries. Many of the major workshops turned their production increasingly toward the manufacture of coarser, less expensive tapestries. Some factories, like Aubusson in France, were well-known for creating adaptations of the designs of popular masters, like Boucher.
Toward the end of the eighteenth century, the trend in interior design turned increasingly toward smaller, more affordable elements such as paneling, drapes, painting, mirrors and furniture. Deemed cumbersome and costly, tapestries began to rapidly decline in popularity. As a result, production at the royal tapestry workshops in Netherlands and France declined sharply. By the end of the eighteenth century, production of traditional European tapestries was teetering on the brink of extinction. In England, a national effort was made to save their tapestry industry, to no avail. As the nineteenth century came to a close, tapestry manufacture had come to almost a complete halt.
The beginning of the twentieth century saw the Industrial Revolution and the automation of textile production. At the end of the nineteenth century, an association of artists in England calling themselves the Arts and Crafts movement came together with the purpose of maintaining the authentic methods of crafts production such as tapestries. William Morris, the leader of the English movement, established a tapestry factory near London to produce the designs of himself, William Crane and Sir Edward Burne-Jones. In France, painter Jean Lurat, was also involved in the resurgence of tapestry production. Although many of his contemporaries like Picasso, Braque and Mir were producing cartoons to be copied as tapestries, Lurat, re-envisioned the tapestry craft as an art form in its own right rather than subordinate to painting. His vision and dedication to this cause helped tapestry reinvent itself to become the dynamic art form it is today. - 16492
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