TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ancient Greece to Modern Europe The Period of Darkness The Medieval Mystery of Tapestry Renaissance Pictorial Art in Tapestry The Secrets of True Tapestry Artistic Style in Tapestry Weaving The Importance of Warp in Tapestry Weaving True Tapestry versus Canvas Needlepoint Modern Jacquard Weaving of Tapestry Reproduction Pieces Contemporary Textile and Hand Woven Tapestry Art How Tapestries can Help You ? Other Benefits of Tapestries Assistance Other Tapestry Sites on the WEB! How to Reach Tapestries for More Information ? Search Tapestries for More Information ?
[view a jacquard woven tapestry reproduction @ 70k... "The Lady & The Unicorn" Woven tapestry art is one of the most effective forms of literary expression the world has ever known. Through the use of this unique art form, the stories of Homer's Odyssey and Illiad were told and made vivid to the ancient Greeks. Even the stories of Virgil's Aneida and Ovid's Metamorphoses were made vivid to the Romans through the use of these woven art pieces. In fact, woven tapestry art has vividly told the stories of the Greeks, Romans, Medieval, and the Renaissance period as well as the Old & New Testament. Countless heroes and nobility have owned hand-woven tapestry art in France, England, Germany, and Italy from ancient times to more recently throughout the Thirteenth to the Eighteenth centuries. [view a jacquard woven tapestry reproduction @ 70k... "Mille Fleurs" Between the hand-woven tapestry art of classical antiquity and that of the Thirteenth century however, a long period of darkness and artistic void intervened in western culture, and for over a thousand years weavers were content to leave the making of large wall paintings to artists and embroiderers. [view a jacquard woven tapestry reproduction @ 70k... "The Crest of Paolo Giovio" Then, in the early Thirteenth and Fourteenth century, Gothic art appeared in woven tapestry art with it's unique form of religious mystery and romance to fascinate the viewer. Their hand-woven tapestry art was intensely personal, intensely human, and overall intensely spiritual. The tapestry art created at that time was the work of men permeated with religious consciousness and with the warm comprehension of the omniscience and omnipresence of their God. [view a jacquard woven tapestry reproduction @ 70k... "The Swing" Renaissance tapestry, on the other hand evolved later on with completely opposite views. The purpose of Gothic pictorial art in hand-woven tapestry art was to tell the story beautifully and effectively, but in all cases to tell the story at any expense. The purpose of Renaissance pictorial art in woven tapestry was to produce illusions of what reality should be. It was actually more intellectual, more abstract, and more scientific with perfection of form, precision of method, and creative grandeur as it's objective for the viewer. The artist Raphael and his Renaissance School of Ancient Roman Art, in actuality, gave rise to the Renaissance tapestry art style in the early sixteenth century. [view a jacquard woven tapestry reproduction @ CAUTION:180k... "Maximilian's March" As far back as the ancient Greeks, hand-woven tapestry art was believed to be an important means for decorating affluent homes and important buildings. Tapestry art was even thought to have covered the walls of the Parthenon. Today, most surviving pieces of original hand-woven tapestry art are from the 16th to the 19th century. During that time construction consisted mainly of Picardy wool, Italian silk, and gold and silver threads imported from Cyprus. [view a jacquard woven tapestry reproduction @ 70k... "Verdure au lac"] [view a jacquard woven tapestry reproduction @ 70k... "Iris" Scholars define Medieval times synonymously with the Middle Ages, meaning from the fall of the Roman empire through the 14th century, and describe the Renaissance as the period from the 14th century through the 16th century. This time frame can only be used as a general rule of thumb, as the transition in art was more gradual. As a matter of fact, many tapestry pieces from the 15th and 16th century would be considered medieval, though technically woven during the Renaissance. Early works were usually adapted from manuscripts and weavers were free to create images as they perceived them. This is in contrast to full-sized drawings, known as cartoons from the Italian cartone- (large piece of paper), that were used in the Renaissance and later periods as templets for the weavers to copy from accurately. As in the Middle Ages, hand-made tapestry weavers of today use two basic types of looms (a high warp and a low warp). Warp yarns are still stretched between two rollers. The low warp loom is worked in a horizontal position and the weaver sits or leans over the tapestry piece. As the work is completed, the tapestry is rolled toward the weaver. Wide varieties of bobbins are still used just as in the Medieval and Renaissance times. Hand-woven tapestry art and canvas work (known as needlepoint in America) have often been "confused" by the uninformed individual because of the similarity in appearance of smaller tapestry pieces and canvas needlepoint pieces. On the other hand, larger tapestry pieces are clearly unique to the viewer and their dramatic weaving effect easily distinguishes them. Today, true tapestry art is typically handwoven or jacquard woven fabric usually made of wool, silk, or linen or a combination of these fibers and sometimes including gold or other precious metal strands. Canvas or needlepoint work is embroidery done with a needle and thread of wool or silk on an existing cotton or canvas base.
The pattern or picture of a tapestry is made by the weft thread (side to side) as the tapestry is being woven, and so is part of the structure of the tapestry. In canvas work the structure is already there in the form of a linen, cotton or canvas base and the pattern or picture is added to it. Today, large tapestry pieces made on looms are almost always used as wall-hangings, but some tapestries can be found in designs as accessories such as pillows and table runners. On the other hand, canvas work is almost always used in smaller pieces such as chair seats, backs and arms, as well as on stool tops and in small framed art pieces, made by hand. [view a jacquard woven tapestry reproduction @ 70k... "Audenarde Verdure, Exotic Birds" However, today most small sized (4' X 2') to large sized (13' X 9') tapestry pieces are produced in European factories utilizing high speed modern "computerized jacquard weaving" machines to produce their high quality tapestry reproduction products in large volumes as seen in the examples above. Most of these factories are located in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, with a few in Italy. [view a contemporary woven tapestry @ 70k... "The Great White Way" Today, architects and homeowners alike demand the unique textile art created by modern contemporary tapestry artists worldwide for large interior space requirements. As a result, contemporary tapestry art can be found in multiple piece displays or massive single piece art forms throughout many buildings in Western and Pacific Rim Countries. The examples shown here are from various contemporary textile artists located in the United States and some are hand made on the artist's loom. [view a contemporary italian designed tapestry @ 70k... "The Cherubs in Thought"] [view a contemporary woven tapestry @ 70k... "From Within"] [view a contemporary woven tapestry @ 70k... "The Irises of Van Gogh"] [view a contemporary woven tapestry @ 70k... "The Aracari"] Tapestries provides introduction studies, slide presentations, and historical information on hand-woven tapestry art to interested parties upon request. Tapestries also provides book references and listings of various specialty tapestry vendors that request links from our homepage. [view @70k of a famous hand silk-screen... "Le Portique de Junon" Reproductions of jacquard woven tapestry products can range from a few hundred dollars for small sizes with average quality to over $7,000 for pieces sized as large as 13'X 9' at high quality. Hand silk-screened wall hangings can start at over $500 and range higher than woven tapestry reproductions. Some well known creative contemporary textile artists charge as much as $400 per square foot to create original tapestry art, while other just getting started are willing to work for as low as $60 per square foot.
Tapestries & More
Ancient Greece to Modern Europe
The Period of Darkness
The Medieval Mystery of Tapestry
Renaissance Pictorial Art in Tapestry
The Secrets of True Tapestry
During the Middle Ages and through the Hundred Years War, France was considered the world's most important producer of tapestry, with Paris being the tapestry capital of the western world. Unfortunately, during the Hundred Years War, with pillaging and unrest, many woven tapestry pieces were lost or burned for their precious metal content. Eventually tapestry artists, skilled dyers and tapestry craftsmen moved north towards Flanders into what today is called Holland and Belgium.
Our homepage tapestries, typically show different designs of jacquard woven tapestry reproduction art only (By definition, only woven wall hangings are considered a "true" tapestry, and may be easily authenticated by viewing the artistic pictorial from the reverse side of the woven piece).
The Fine Wall Hanging shown below "The Verdure au lac", however, is made by the very tedious and time consuming "Hand-Silk-Screen Printing/Artistic Painting" process.
This process is necessary in situations where a very complicated "old art work" cannot be accurately reproduced in size and finely created by the modern jacquard weaving process at the same time.
Although, the true tapestry pieces shown herein are expensive jacquard woven reproductions from France, Belgium and Italy,
"Hand-Printed" wall hangings like the one below, can cost as much as 30% more than modern jacquard weaving, due to the complex art processes and extensive time required for their detailed reproduction (in some cases as long as four years to perfect the hand made screens).
Artistic Style in Tapestry Weaving
The Importance of Warp in Tapestry Weaving
True Tapestry versus Canvas Needlepoint
Modern Jacquard Weaving of Tapestry Reproduction Pieces
Contemporary Textile and Hand Woven Tapestry Art
How Tapestries can Help You ?
Other Benefits of Tapestries Assistance
Original antique tapestry pieces can range from a few thousand dollars to over $200,000 for large high quality Renaissance pieces. Although, Tapestries does not market new or antique tapestry items ourselves, we can assist you on finding any type of tapestry or wall hanging, if requested. Finally, if you would like more information about the history, the intrigue, and facinating stories behind these and other unique tapestries, or have some interesting stories about tapestries you would like us to link to, please contact us at our e-mail site.
Additional Tapestries from
"Le Louvre Museum" Battle of Zama Renaissance Tapestry Display.
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