At Heirloom European Tapestries are often asked by customers who have Italian or French architecturally designed homes to provide advice on which large tapestries are truly Italian or French in order to maintain the architectural motif in their interior dcor.
Well, the problem is that there is a very blurry line between Italian tapestries and
French tapestries!
Italy entered the world of wall hanging tapestries in 1515 when the Pope commissioned the famous painter Raphael to create a series of tapestries from The Acts of the Apostles. Since Italy did not have any wall tapestry weavers, they commissioned Belgium, the heart of tapestry weaving at that time, to weave the series. The tapestries took 15 years to be completed and by the time they were unveiled at the Vatican, Italy had developed a passion for tapestries and started to import tapestry weavers from Belgium and France to establish weaving ateliers in Italy. Weavers were imported to Italy from Belgium and France from approximately 1534 and as tapestry weaving declined in Belgium, Ferrara and Florence in Italy slowly rose in fame and prominence for tapestry weaving over the next 50 year period. The house of DEste in Ferrara along with the Arazzeria Medicea of the Medici family in Florence produced everything that Italy could absorb in Italian tapestries. The house of Medici in Italian tapestries
survived until 1737.
France, on the other hand had been weaving custom tapestries for the king and nobility since 1525 with established tapestry guilds throughout France. By 1589 tapestries had became serious decorating items.
The French and Belgium weavers that left their home countries for Italy took not only their weaving skills, but also their artistic sensibility which was quintessential French or Belgian.
The center of wall tapestry weaving shifted to Italy and France.
Wall hanging tapestry weavers and artists alike were enticed back and forth across the borders from Italy to France and back again from France to Italy. Famous Italian artists such as Leonard da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Veronese and others were given commissions by both countries to create tapestry cartoons destined for tapestry weaving. Competition became stiff. The French tapestries and Italian tapestries all took on a similar flavor in design, look and weave.
The end result: It is definitely difficult to say which is truly an
Italian Tapestry and which is truly a French tapestry. In France, it wasnt until 1625 when the Gobelins Tapestry atelier was established in Paris by Louis XIV (the sun king) and allowed only French painters to create designs for wall hanging tapestries for the King, that French tapestries truly took on a French look.
While some tapestries clearly are Italian in nature, such as Italian Villa Garden and Cello in Italian Garden, most tapestries woven during the period 1500- 1650 are BOTH Italian and French in design and would fit both Italian and French dcor perfectly. The choice is really yours. Check out tapestries, under the categories Renaissance and Landscape at www.tapestries-inc.com. Pick the design and colors that suit your dcor, and dont worry about the name or where it was originally woven!
