Art has often been considered the finishing touch to any home. Tapestries are often overlooked, however; many people dont mentally classify them as art and fail to take advantage of this easy and lush way to enhance their living areas. Tapestries are actually one of the oldest and most widespread forms of art, with a long and colorful history reaching back thousands of years.
Tapestry fragments have been recovered which date from around 1400 BC in Egypt, and pictorial evidence suggests that the weaving of tapestries might have existed as a craft even 1,500 years before that. Iran and Crimea both boast scraps dating back to between 1 and 4 AD, and the ancient Greeks and Romans predate them by a dozen years or more.
Some of the most common portrayals among the earliest known tapestries followed the predictable theme of conquest. Battles were fought and won both by current warlords of the day or the ancient mythic heroes from the mists of forgotten times. Animals, birds, creatures of legend and pretty maidens were always a large part of tapestry art as well, and floral designs abound.
Medieval Times
As the centuries passed, the art of tapestry became more and more refined. The amount of detail present in tapestries from the medieval era is highly superior to that which went before, but the same topics remain the focus of attention. Ladies, lords, warriors and foes alike are displayed in the costumes of whatever era they hail from, and are surrounded by the tools of their trade. Knights wielding swords and lances straddle mighty steeds; their awestruck female audiences carry lapdogs and use fans to hide their blushes.
Medieval tapestries served to keep out the drafts and insulate chilly castle rooms and halls. By the time of the Renaissance they had become a commodity for luxurys sake alone and many a wealthy merchant or tradesman commissioned tapestries woven to imitate works of the masters in other artistic fields. Many famous paintings were rendered in warp and weft and reproductions became common. Fine artisans in the realm of tapestry weaving were high in demand, and many a noble would attach a master weaver to his castle retinue.
Coats of arms became popular subjects to have woven into a wall hanging. This could grace the front entry of any great hall and add a symbolic touch that reminded visitors that the lord of the manor was indeed the lord of the manor. Tapestries crossed the Atlantic with the early colonists and became a status symbol in the New World; The wealthy could use them to impress visitors with their worth and they still served a practical purpose by providing insulation on walls and added warmth in the bedchamber.
Tapestries Remain Popular Through the Centuries
With the invention of the Jacquard loom in 1801, tapestries became more available and reproductions became even more in demand. Recreations of tapestries showing historic battles and conquests have always been popular, and the constant warring among different factions in Europe provided plenty of inspiration. Medieval knights and the accompanying trappings regained popularity as well, with St George battling the Dragon proving a lasting favorite.
Prowess in sport is almost as popular a subject as that of combat - hunting scenes are a great favorite, with stag, fox and hare as favored game. Horse and hound course merrily across many tapestries while the foliage of trees and details of the forest in the background add to the lush three dimensional effect. Reproductions of these tapestries are favorites of interior designers as they blend easily into almost any dcor. The earthy tones mixed with the gay hunting apparel make an appealing picture to adorn any wall.
Tapestries in Interior Design
Today tapestries that represent almost any period of history can be obtained to boost the interest factor of your walls. All you have to do is decide on an era you would like to portray, and build your interior decorating them around that ideal. This might mean a gentle decadence to accent the sweet romanticism of many Renaissance pieces, or a opulent setting to bring out the riotous colors in a floral design from India.
Whatever piece you choose, you can know it will never go out of style - tapestries are the definite last word when it comes to wall art and just like a painting by a master no-one can fault a tapestry when it comes to dressing up a room. The texture and depth they lend will make them sure conversation pieces and a welcome addition to any home.
