ADORABELLA

The History of French Tapestry

Although the weaving of tapestry has been dated back to the ancient Egyptians, we start herein the origins of French tapestry
dating from the 11th Century.

11th CENTURY.

  
The Bayeux Tapestry is the only masterpiece of it's kind in the world and is a historical record retracing the events leading to the conquest of England, 
and culminating with the Battle of Hastings in 1066 by William the Conqueror.  

The story of the tapestry begins in 1064. The tapestry is in reality a hand embroidery on linen cloth using wools of various colours. The tapestry is 
70 metres long and 1/2 metre high, and was most probably woven in an Anglo-Saxon workshop supervised by Odeon de Conteville, Bishop of Bayeux
and half brother of William the Conqueror.

  
1. Bayeux tapestry, portion of the tapestry depicting Harold's last meal on land
before embarking to Normandy to inform William  that it is Edward the Confessor's 
wish that William succeed to the throne of  England.

12th CENTURY:

  
The subject matter of tapestries from this period is characterised by extreme awkwardness of design, proportion, perspective and detail. 
The designs translated into the medium of tapestry appear quite primitive and childlike, especially when compared to the masterpieces of 
the 16th, 17th & 18th Centuries.

  
2.  Les Mois de L'annee - a surviving fragment of a late 12th Century tapestry
from Baldishol Church in Norway is a wonderful example of  awkwardness of 
transposition of 12th Century design into tapestry and is one of the oldest surviving 
tapestries in the western world.


The two scenes in the fragment represent two months of the year, April, which is legible
on the top left and is symbolised by a man holding a flower next to a tree upon which two 
birds are climbing. The month of May was the "warring' month and is depicted by a 
horseman wearing a helmet, coat of chain mail, and carrying a lance and shield.

13th CENTURY:

  
The use of tapestries at this time was more for practicality than that of artistic, decorative or commemorative value. Kings and Lords travelling
from one castle to another were fond of tapestries,for when rolled up, they could be easily carried and hung on the walls of various residences, 
for protection from the cold and noise in the large rooms, most of which were damp and noisy as the windows were without glass and the floors
were paved with flagstone.

Canopy beds originated from the custom whereby  tapestries would form small comfortable areas within a room amidst the coldness of stone,
and in which it was possible to sleep in warmth.  When a guest would arrive, usually in a common hall, the Lord's room was immediately "dressed": 
a canopy for his bed was arranged and cross-walls of tapestry placed north or south to protect against cold in winter or warmth in summer. 
Very few tapestries from the 13th century survive today.

When the Lords moved into a new castle they would not hesitate to have a tapestry cut so as to facilitate a door opening. Whenever the ceiling of a room 
was too low to hang the tapestry at full length, the bottom of the tapestry would be cut off, which was kept and then sewn onto another tapestry found 
too small - even if the theme and colours were different. Such tapestries, a small number which survive today still continue to puzzle historians.

14th CENTURY:

  
Up until the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), France was the most important producer of tapestries and Paris was the undisputed capital. 
Tapestry design had evolved from the extreme awkwardness of the 12th Century, however movement, proportion, perspective and composition 
were still cumbersome and the tapestries were composed of improbable associations of the subject matter.

  
3. Bataille et embarquement: Origins of this tapestry are unknown. 
The combat it represents is most likely drawn from the Iliad, and shows Knights, 
archers and  mercenaries in battle with a galleon in the background that is 
reproduced in such a manner as to appear on land. In the foreground, 
Royal people are depicted with composed dispositions amid a chaotic battle scene. 
The tapestry is on display in the Cluny Museum, Paris.

LATE 14th CENTURY:

  
The 100 years war and the systematic plundering of Paris sent the tapestry makers fleeing northwards to Arras (Ateliers d'Arras), 
where they set up their tapestry studios.

  
4. Offrande du Coer,  is attributed to the Arras workshops
1400-1410. Currently at the Cluny Museum in Paris, this 
tapestry depicts a finely dressed young man offering his 
heart to his favourite - a tapestry expressing an atmosphere
of tenderness.

15th CENTURY:

Towards the end of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), the pillaging of Arras in 1447 by Louis XI sent the tapestry manufacturers
toward Flanders which became the tapestry centre.

The tapestry craftsmen, working in family concerns whose manufacturing skills were passed down from father to son, had to possess
skills not only of weavers but also of dyers, the two skills being interrelated, and a knowledge of which was necessary in order to
bring a successful conclusion to the tapestry. Their secret lay in their skilfulness in extracting colours from various plants and incorporating
them into the wool. This method gave them a palate of only 12 colours from which to work,
(modern computer screens have 16 million colours).

Materials used in the weaving of the tapestries were Arras thread, (aka Picardy wool), Italian silk and silver and gold threads
from Cyprus. Tapestry manufacture was slow, taking a skilled worker about two months to weave a square foot (approx. 30cm sq.).
Many large tapestries were a group effort, each worker having his own particular portion of the tapestry to weave which would be
joined together at a later date. This lead to the weave having different tensions and techniques within the one tapestry - some portions of the
tapestry more taut than others.

The tapestry makers wove biblical scenes and at a later date, scenes from mythology; taking their inspiration from the translations
of Greek and Latin texts. The lives of saints were widely represented and the background was either a temple, palace or simply
a solid colour. The costumes were seldom of the era depicted in the scene, more often borrowed from colourful biblical illustrations.

These picturesque anachronisms gave a particular charm to the tapestries of the 15th Century, also known as Gothic and later as
Flemish Gothic tapestries. The composition of the tapestries depicted an awkwardness in perspective and landscape backgrounds.
It was to be the next Century before the genius of a Raphael was to bring tapestry to the true art of composition.

The purchaser of the tapestry usually dictated the subject, size, number of pieces, themes, subject manner and attitudes.
Working in close collaboration with the tapestry worker was a painter who created the preliminary designs or paintings, within
the restriction of the palette of colours of the threads available to the tapestry weavers.

  
5.Suzanne et les viellards - (Marmattan Museum, Paris) is a fine example of a biblical scene. 
All the vitality of this work lies in the expression of the faces. Clothes make up a superb symphony in 
which reds, blues and gold are blended in the purest Gothic style.

MID 15th CENTURY:

   
Towards the end of the 15th Century, continuing into the early 16th Century, the Loire Valley (Southeast France) became a popular place
for tapestry makers as it was the favoured area of the French Aristocracy for their rural retreats. Rural scenes with freshness and charm, 
where gentle ladies, lords and peasant folk are depicted on a flowery or "mille fleur" 
(thousand flower) background of the Loire Valley.

The garments of the people depicted in the tapestries were seldom in accord with history and time, often imitating the court garments 
that were fashionable at the time. The subjects were adorned with gold and their garments were trimmed with exquisite fabrics and furs,
even the peasants appear like aristocracy. As most documents concerning tapestries for the 14th - 16th Centuries no longer exist, experts 
generally refer to the costumes of the subjects to establish the date of execution.

  
6. Le Berger, is an interesting tapestry because two components 
of it's content are influenced by the style of 15th Century Periods. 
The captions at the top and the right of the tapestry are of the
earlier Flemish Gothic style and the  flowers at the shepherd's feet 
are of the style "mille fleur", (mid 15th - early 16th C).

  
7. La Danse,is part of the famous set of the "NoblePastorale",
created around mid 15th Century, and is characteristic of the tapestries 
made by tapestry manufacturers of the Loire Valley. The background is
entirely "Mille Fleur".


8. Taste (Le Gout) Lady & Unicorn   and    9. My Only Desire (mon seul desire) tapestries, are two tapestries reproduced from the original set of 
six tapestries that depict the five senses; taste, sound, sight, smell, touch and My Only desire representing an allegory - the meaning of which has been 
debated by historians for many centuries. Scholared opinion today believe that the tapestry depicts a young lady returning  a necklace to a casket, 
held open to her by her maidservant. The inscription on the tent "A mon sèul desir," coupled with the ladies gesture, symbolizes her freedom from the 
passions provoked by ill-controlled senses, allowing her to rise above worldly temptations and behaviour.

9.

LATE 15th - EARLY 16th CENTURY:

  
At the end of the middle ages, epic subjects became  popular. Tapestries illustrated kings and princes in tournament, combat scenes and hunting parties. 

This period remains the most prolific for unrivalled masterpieces.

10.

  
10. Le Depart pour la Chasse, Also known as "plaisante chasse" or 
"chasse de volerie", hawking was a favourite pass-time of the lords of the 
period. Thought to have been the creation of Flanderine workshops (C1500), 
this medieval masterpiece today adorns one of the vaulted rooms of the 
Cluny Museum, Paris.  

A lord setting off on a hunt is distinguished by his highly decorated coat 
and his light-coated horse as he rides away  from  his chateau. His leather 
gaiters protect his calves from being scratched by the undergrowth.

16th CENTURY:

  
At the time of the Italian wars, and with the Renaissance and the arrival of the Italian artists, tapestry radically changed style.  

Rich borders and arabesques characterised the highly coloured style of the Renaissance period.

11.

  
11. Prominade Medieval, This tapestry is of the style that links 
between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and reflects the manner of life 
of the period. The tapestry is a masterpeice of high quality weaving of the
16th Century.

  
After the Italian wars, the Renaissance radically changed the art of tapestry making. The new aesthetic form was an association of painting 
and tapestry.  Around 1530, Francis I founded the first Royal tapestry workshop at Fontainbleau in France. The great Italian
artist, Le Primatice, was the chief painter and director.

12.

   
12. Retour de Chasse, A lord, accompanied by his 
beaters, is returning to his property seen in  the distance. 
The tapestry holds all that characterises Renaissance art: 
composition, decor, perspective, light and borders of fruits,
flowers  and birds. The richness and elegance of the costumes 
in this Renaissance masterpiece contrasts with the austerity
of  medieval tapestries.

WEAVING TECHNIQUE OF THE 16TH CENTURY:THE RAPHAEL CARTOONS.

Associating painting with tapestry Raphael introduced the art of composition, order, clarity, perspective and light, and his work was translated into
a series of ten very famous tapestries, known as the Acts of the Apostles, for the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Rome. The primary purpose of the
paintings produced by Raphael was to be used as templates (or blueprints) by weavers for producing the tapestries and this is why they are known as
"cartoons". The Raphael cartoons have become as famous as the tapestries themselves. Raphael was commissioned in 1515 by the Medici Pope,
Leo X (1513-21) to produce the works and are the oldest surviving cartoons on paper.

In 1517 Raphael's cartoons were sent to Brussels for weaving in the workshops of Peter Van Aelst, and were finished around 1521. The tapestries were
woven on a low - warp loom (or basse-lisse technique) whereby the cartoons were cut into strips by the weavers and placed beneath the warp
(vertical) threads of the loom, following the design with the coloured threads of the weft (left to right). The width of the strips was limited by both the
size of the loom and by the arm-span of the weavers; several weavers working side by side, with their cartoon strip placed next to their colleagues.

The weavers worked on the back of the tapestry, producing a mirror image of the cartoon, which therefore had to be designed in reverse.

Many of the cartoons by celebrated artists were later re-joined and have become valuable artifacts in their own right.

13.

   
13.Raphael Cartoon."The Miraculous Draught of Fishes 1515-16, 3.2 x 3.9m

14.

   
14.Raphael Tapestry.  4.9 x 4.4m

17th CENTURY:

  
Around 1660, Colbert founded the Royal Factory at the Gobelins, under the name Royal Workshop of Crown Furniture and renamed to Beauvais in
1664, under the protection of Louis XIV. By 1675, more than 800 painters and tapestry makers could be seen at the Gobelins in Paris, under the brilliant 
direction of Charles Le Brun, whose idea was to group the artists according to their various talents.

Le Brun had each artist specialise in that for which he had an affinity and gift. This is why it is not unusual to find cartoons signed by several artists. 
In this century, the perfection of the tapestry weavers had reached it's pinnacle, the stitch had reached a maturity never before attained.

The inventory of the kings furniture, at the death of Louis XIV, contained no less than 2155 Gobelins tapestries, woven under the auspicious 
direction of Charles Le Brun.

15.

   
15. La Chasse au Cerf, le Rapport, is one of several tapestries, 
from several series of tapestries produced over two centuriesknown as 
Maximilien"tapestries, after the emperor Maximilien. 
This example wovenin the Gobelins.

MID-LATE 17th CENTURY:

  
This was a period where the "Verdures," themes featuring greenery and foliage rose to popularity.

16.

   
16. Verdure des Flandres. Woven in Brussels (17th C) and hangs in the Museum of Art 
and Decoration in Paris.This is a work of outstanding quality, both by it's perspective and 
the luxuriance of it's foliage.

18th CENTURY:


After the death of Louis XIV, ( 1638-1715),  the formal subjects gave way to  more imaginative compositions. Tapestry weaving became more 
romantic with beautiful landscapes - this style reaching it's peak with Boucher and endured during the entire reign of Louis XV. During this time 
tapestries depicted sensuality, provocative nudes, voluptuousness - all set in charming landscapes, where fallen gods and erotic nymphs dance.

17.

   
17. Leda and the Swan.  (private collection).

18.

   
18. Sacrifice to Cybele,  is reproduced from a painting by Jaan Breughal, 
depicting nymphs and peasants making offerings of fruit, flowers and crops as 
gestures of thanksgiving to Cybele, the godness of nature.

MID - LATE 18th CENTURY:

  
Tapestry techniques became greatly modified, the composition more mannered and the themes more stylish and elegant. The leading painters of the day 
continued to compose tapestries as if they were paintings and gone was the practicality of useful function as in the middle ages - tapestries were now 
strictly for  aesthetic and decorative values.

J.B Leprince, a student of Boucher, was one of the most well known painters at the start of the 18th Century. He created a new kind of exoticism based
on the northern countries. With the Russian Games, six works at the Musee de l'ancien Archeveche in Aix-en-Provence, he introduced for the first time to 
French Decoration, the people, costumes and picturesque aspects of Russian life.

19.

   
19. Les Marchands d'Oiseaux. Typically 18th Century, by it's spirit, grace and 
easy rendering of the ambient northern light, this tapestry was executed in Beauvais, 1770.

JACQUARD LOOM:
In 1757 Jacques de Vaucanson developed a low warp loom (basse-lisse) that was improved by Joseph Maree Jacquard (1752-1834). This loom was
to be the pre-curser of the technique used in the Jacquard looms of today, and increased the speed at which tapestries could be reproduced.

Weft yarns of different colours are woven from the back of the fabric, to the face of the tapestry to form the design, the purpose of which was to
imitate hand woven tapestry. Today, many forms of jacquard weave of varying qualities are incorporated in the manufacture of jacquard tapestries,
their names usually derived from the place of manufacture,eg. Halluin, Gobelin, Louvieres, and Loiselles.

FRENCH REVOLUTION:
At the end of the French Revolution, artistic inspiration was abandoned. The Royal Workshops became government institutions managed by civil
servants and the group of foreign artists painfully assembled under le Brun was broken up.

Vandalism reigned everywhere - pillaging and destruction of some of the most beautiful tapestries were burned in order to extract the small amount of
gold and silver used in their weaving eg. "The Chariot of Triumph Tapestry" (the first tapestry depicted under "Hand Woven - Aubusson"
on this web site). Others were used as wind-breaks for vineyards or shelter for street peasants and refugees. The First Empire and reign of Napoleon I
brought the final downfall of the art of tapestry and no masterpiece was to emerge from this confused era.

Beauvais, Aubusson and Fellitin reopened in 1795 and specialised in upholstering chairs. They limited themselves by reproducing tapestries from the
old designs of the great artists of the 17th & 18th Centuries, reproducing tapestries in their thousands until the 19th Century.

19th & 20th CENTURIES:

  
Tapestry design and manufacture had once again become the subject of popular decorative taste and many styles emerged during this era. 
The Elephant tapestry, although first appearing in the mid 19th Century, once again finds popularity at the close of the 20th Century.

20.

  
20. Elephant tapestry, is reproduced from a portion of 
a large  tapestry that hangs in the Louvre, Paris. The original 
was woven in Aubusson in the middle of the 19th Century, a  period
when "Orientalism" was the trend.