| A History of Tapestries.
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| | copies of paintings rather than
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| A tapestry wall-hanging in your home
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| | independent works of art. In 1515 Raphael
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| brings not just interior beauty but also
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| | was commissioned by the Pope to paint
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| a sense of history. European weavers have
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| | cartoons for the 'Acts of the Apostles'
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| produced these textiles for centuries,
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| | tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. His
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| including the medieval, renaissance and
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| | introduction of perspective and
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| Arts and Crafts periods.Tapestries have
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| | composition together with the use of
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| been woven for hundreds of years in
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| | finer yarns dyed in up to 300 colour
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| diverse cultures. Both ancient Egyptians
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| | shades led to the subservience of
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| and the Incas buried their dead in
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| | tapestry to painting for over 300
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| tapestry woven clothing. Important civic
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| | years.In 1663, during the lavish reign of
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| buildings of the Greek Empire, including
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| | Louis XIV, Les Gobelins factory was
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| the Parthenon, had walls covered by them.
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| | founded in Paris employing over 800
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| However it was the French medieval
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| | artisans in the production of tapestries
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| weavers who brought the craft to
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| | for the royal court. Other European
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| fruition.In the 13th and 14th centuries
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| | countries followed, opening factories on
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| the Church recognized the value of
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| | behalf of their rulers. They employed
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| tapestries in illustrating Bible stories
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| | Flemish weavers who by now had to
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| to its illiterate congregations. Few of
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| | complete a twelve year apprenticeship.
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| these have survived. The oldest existing
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| | Louis XIV's estate inventory at his death
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| set is the Apocalypse of St John, six
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| | listed 2,155 Gobelins tapestries. Henry
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| finely woven hangings 18 foot high,
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| | VIII's collection totalled over 2,000 in
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| totalling 471 foot in length which were
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| | seventeen royal residences.
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| woven from 1375 to 1379 in Paris. This
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| | Rococco landscapes were popular in the
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| was the centre of production until the
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| | 18th century typified by the designs of
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| Hundred Years War (1337 - 1453) caused
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| | Francois Boucher (1703-70), director of
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| the weavers to flee north via Arras to
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| | the royal workshops at Beauvais for 30
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| Flanders (now Belgium and northern
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| | years. His cartoons produced over 400
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| France).Tapestries became status symbols
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| | tapestries.During the French Revolution
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| amongst the aristocracy in the Middle
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| | the social changes of the times so
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| Ages. They also had much practical use,
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| | decimated the tapestry market that the
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| providing insulation for castle walls,
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| | French Directory ordered 190 be burnt in
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| covering openings and giving privacy
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| | 1797 rather than retain them for their
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| around beds. Kings and nobles took them
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| | value complete. They considered the gold
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| on their travels from castle to castle
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| | and silver threads to have greater value.
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| for reasons of comfort and prestige.
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| | However a positive development of this
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| Tapestries often changed hands after
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| | period was the invention of the Jacquard
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| battle, and since the victor's door and
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| | mechanical loom in Flanders in 1804. It
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| window openings might be a different size
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| | processed perforated cards, like pianolas
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| the acquired hangings might be cut up or
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| | or early IBM computers, which fed the
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| even joined to other tapestries.Many of
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| | coloured yarns to the shuttle. It enabled
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| the best known works such as the 'Lady
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| | tapestries to become accessible to a
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| with the Unicorn' series were woven at
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| | wider market and it still forms the basis
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| the turn of the 15th century in the Loire
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| | of the techniques used today.By the late
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| valley. It has been estimated that 15,000
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| | 1800's the Gobelins dyeworks produced a
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| people were employed in the craft at this
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| | colour range of 14,000 tones. Producing
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| time. Many were itinerant and passed
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| | tapestries with such detailing had not
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| their skills from father to son. Their
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| | surprisingly become very expensive.
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| charming 'mille fleurs' scenes had
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| | Furthermore little creativity existed
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| backgrounds of small local flowers,
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| | with most pieces being based on earlier
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| perhaps inspired by the practice of
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| | designs.Modern tapestry weaving owes much
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| strewing roadways with flowers on local
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| | to the vigour and freedom bought by the
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| fete days. At this time it would take a
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| | Arts and Crafts Movement headed by
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| skilled father/son team two months to
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| | William Morris in England. He revived
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| weave just one square foot of tapestry -
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| | many old crafts; tapestry weaving being
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| and, remember, these were on a large
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| | one of the beneficiaries of his fresh
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| scale.Medieval weavers extracted their
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| | vision and creative energy. He visited
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| dyes from plants and insects in a range
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| | French weavers in 1878 and described the
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| of less than twenty colours. For example,
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| | workshops at Aubusson as 'a decaying
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| red came from madder, poppies or
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| | commercial industry of rubbish'. A year
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| pomegranates and woad produced blue (a
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| | later he had a high-warp loom built in
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| process that was so profitable in 16th
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| | his bedroom where he taught himself to
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| century France that importing woad from
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| | weave from an 18th century French craft
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| the East was punishable by death).The
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| | manual. With colleagues and friends he
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| most popular medieval images were
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| | designed tapestries, like the Woodpecker,
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| Biblical stories, myths, allegories (the
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| | based on medieval styles and techniques.
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| ever-popular unicorn represented purity),
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| | The weavers at Morris and Co. achieved
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| and contemporary scenes of peasants
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| | commercial success and, more importantly,
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| working or nobles hunting. Battles were
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| | revived the ailing craft.Today few
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| commissioned by victorious monarchs after
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| | tapestries are hand-woven due to the
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| the early 1500's. The Holy Roman Emperor
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| | expense of their laborious production.
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| Charles V was even accompanied into
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| | Les Gobelins does continue this tradition
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| battle by his court painter who made
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| | on 19th century looms, producing modern
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| sketches at the site for later weaving.
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| | designs for prestigious French public
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| Hunting scenes led to 'verdure'
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| | buildings. But for us modern yarns and
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| tapestries of lush landscapes which later
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| | techniques enable us to enjoy superlative
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| became romanticized with increasing
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| | copies of works of art at affordable
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| Italian influences.Medieval weavers used
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| | prices (sometimes cheaper than a framed
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| working sketches which they freely
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| | print). Today's tapestries include
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| adapted with imagination and sometimes
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| | reproductions of museum originals and
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| humour. By the Renaissance these had
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| | classic works of art but they also offer
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| become full-sized working drawings
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| | a wide variety of contemporary designs.
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| ('cartoons') which were rigidly copied by
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| | The range is broad, with something for
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| the weavers. Thus tapestries became mere
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| | everyone.
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