Why tapestries?
Tapestries are becoming increasingly visible in modern interiors, their harmonious colours and rich historical appeal gaining in influence after having often been overlooked. Prominent interior designers such as Robert Kime and Alidad have raved about why they enjoy incorporating tapestries into their rooms, but for those not used to looking at tapestry, their appeal can seem a little unfamiliar. After all, tapestry tends to be grouped together with many other decorative arts, and they are less culturally visible than, say, paintings. For the commissioners of both paintings and tapestries, this would have seemed like a highly unusual state of affairs, since tapestries were valued more highly in terms of their artistry and beauty, and were certainly a lot more expensive. For centuries, they were at the heart of royal collections – Henry VIII had a “perfect mania” for tapestry – and were valued accordingly. When the huge art collection of Charles I was sold by the Commonwealth during the Civil War, numerous tapestries sold for very high prices and the most valuable sold for £579 – by comparison, 168开奖官方开奖网站查询:Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of St John the Baptist, which is now in the Louꩲvre, was sold for a mere £140.
This a remarkable art form has a glorious history and plenty of potential for creating a unique interior space, while prices remain lower than in many other collecting categories. After having a quick𒅌 look at the history and usage of tapestries, we’ll explore some features to look out for and some ideas for incorporating them into your creative decor♚ating process.
A Short History
Tapestry, defined most simply, is the art of weavinꦆg a textile with a pattern incorporated into the fabric, instead of a technique like embroidery which sees it imposed on top of the textile. What might not be apparent to us now is that medieval tapestries were as important for keeping monasteries or castles warm as they were for decoration, and also that they were often rolled up and transported around. As well as warmth, the richness and high value of tapestries meant that they also created a sense of splendour and glorified the travelling courts of monarchs and emperors – Charles V, like the whole Habsburg family, was an important patron of tapestries and even commissioned a set of tapestries in 1535 to commemorate his military victories over the Ottoman Empire.
During the medieval period, Flanders and Brussels were the most important centres of tapestry manufacture. One of the greatest examples of tapestries from this era is the The Lady and The Unicorn series♊, which was made 🌞in Flanders around 1500 – now on display at the Musée de Cluny in Paris, these tapestries are truly extraordinary in their dazzling colours and shimmering textures.
In the 16th century, the art form would change significantly after Raphael designed a spectacular series of tapestries for the Sistine Chapel called The Acts of the Apostles – Raphael’s innovation was to model his tapestry designs on the popular styles in paintings, a practice which would continue long afterwards. In addition, other tapestry locations began to rival the Netherlands: in England, the Mortlake Tapestry Works boomed under Charles I, while Louis XIV founded tapestry centres in Paris (the ‘Gobelins’), Beauvais and Aubusson that would remain important throughout the 18th century. During the French Revolution, tapestry suffered badly from its association with splendour and display, with many t🦄apestries burned to isolate their gold and silver threads. After some decades of decline, though, a revival of the art of tapestry was spearheaded in the 19th century by William Morris, who even followed a French instruction manual from before the Revolution to ensure he was using the correct, traditional techniques. Tapestry has had a great many practitioners since, and has also proven popular among modern and contemporary artists.
Tapestry In Modern Interiors
The history may be fascinating, but for many the main question is how and why to incorporate a tapestry into an interior in the modern day. To start with, the rich history of tapestry 🦹means that they can bring an evocative note of the past to an interior space in the present: as with all forms of antique decoration, an object that was made to a very high standard and has survived many centuries carries a unique historical🌼 complexity with it, an allure that is difficult to replicate in something new.
By extension, antique tapestries can often interact fruitfully with contemporary art and design, since tapestry tends to have warm, natural colouring and a soft texture. Indeed, as the interior designer Rachel Tudley told Architectural Digest, the historic and organic feel of t⛎apestry can bring an 'antidote' to modern and man-made textures such as metal and high-gloss surfaces.
One additional strength of tapestries, often invoked in the praise of enthusiastic decorators, is that they delight in the plentiful depiction of nature and forests. In many tapestries, this is seen in the mille-fleurs or ‘thousand-flowers’ decorations that densely fill the background of scenes, supposedly inspired by the blooms scattered on the floꦡor during festival days. Even in later periods, though, tapestry draws great inspiration from nature, particularly the sub-genre known as ‘verdure’ tapestr𓆏y. Martin Brudnizki, the acclaimed designer behind the vibrant and playful interior of Annabel’s, describes tapestry as a ‘great way of getting nature and greenery into our interiors where you might not have the natural light to have planting', adding a sense of life and bringing the outside in.
Some Final Thoughts
There is plenty more to learn about the history and craft of tapestry, which has long held the admiration of art historians and is increasingly gaining appreciation from modern decorators too. It is worth remembering that, while tapestries have often filled large spaces, they are sometimes sold as smaller fragments that are easier to display alongside other decorative elements. This also creates the intriguing aesthetic effect of ‘zooming in’ to the detail within an abundant mille-fleur backgrounds or intricate borders of a tapestry. Tapestries appear in many shapes and sizes, and can framed, hung, or even playfully be made into cushion covers. The market is relatively favourable for tapestry and beautiful work of high quality is often readily available – at Sotheby’s, they are often included in our 168开奖官方开奖网站查询:Classic Design sales that bring together various forms of furniture and decorative art, and take place several times a year in London, New York and Paris. Do get in touch with 168开奖官方开奖网站查询:our Furniture teams if you are interested in finding out more about tapestries: our specialists would be happy to give book recommendations, let you know which public galleries and museums have good tapestries on display, and notify you if we have any tapestries in our upcoming sales.