History of Tapestries

Tapestries had both decorative and utilitarian uses back in the middle ages when they became popular. Tapestries were used to cover windows and openings and as canopies around beds to keep in the heat and add privacy. Kings and noble men would carry tapestries with them as they traveled and they were also used to portray Bible stories for illiterate church goers. Tapestries were also beautiful and intricate works of art that were highly prized during this time. Many tapestries were produced in Paris until the beginning of the Hundred Years War in 1337. During this time many weavers fled north and many beautiful tapestries were lost.

Tapestries were highly prized and not something commoners could afford. Tapestries were often claimed as spoils by the victory of a battle or war. Tapestries were very versatile and often were cut up or sewn together to cover openings once they were moved. Some tapestries were astounding in size; some of the largest were easily 20 feet high and 80 feet wide. The process of making a tapestry in the middle ages was a very long and involved one; some tapestries took many years to complete and thousands of people worked on them.

The process of creating a tapestry began with a painter or sketcher who painted or drew the preliminary design often called a cartoon. After the design was complete, weavers extracted dyes from plants and other sources and dyed the threads that would be used in the tapestry. Wool, silk, silver, and gold thread were the most common types of materials used in tapestries. After all the thread was dyed weaving began and it could take up to a month for even a skilled weaver to complete just one half of a square foot. Tapestry weaving was a skill that was passed down from generation to generation.

Combat, hunting, and landscapes were common scenes depicted on middle age tapestries made for aristocrats. Some noblemen had artists accompany them on hunts and into battle and make sketches that would later be used to make tapestries. Scenes that depicted hunting then evolved into lush landscape scenes and later pastoral designs. As tapestries became more and more complex and intricate, it was not uncommon for 300 of more shades of colors to be used and the tapestries themselves resembling fine paintings complete with a woven "frame."

The tapestry business was a very popular and lucrative one until the French Revolution in 1797 when hundreds of tapestries were burned. It was also around this time when the Jacquard loom was invented with streamlined the weaving process and make tapestries available to a much wider market. The Jacquard loom made weaving much easier than weaving by hand, and although tapestries were still hand made the loom expedited the process.

Tapestries still exist today from medieval times and many are displayed in museums in Europe with some of the most famous tapestries residing in Paris. Tapestries woven today are still woven by hand and use technology similar to the first Jacquard loom although much of the process is computerized.