WovenWorld.co.uk
Title
Tapestries, Handbags, Cushions and Bedding - buy online at WovenWorld
Description
A Brief History of Tapestry
Tapestry weaving is an ancient art dating back to the Ancient Greeks in the West and even earlier in Egypt, the Middle East and the Americas. The Greeks and Romans are recorded as having used tapestries for the decoration of public buildings and this custom continues to the present day.
It was not until the Middle Ages that Western Europe's tapestry weaving centres developed. This was in response to a growing population and the increasing wealth and sophistication of the ruling classes. The centres of tapestry weaving moved first from Spain and then to France and ultimately to Flanders where tapestry weaving flourished until the late 19th century and, albeit on a much smaller scale, continues to this day.
The technical ability of weavers developed steadily from the Middle Ages with the refinement of tapestry looms and the use of a wider variety of colours. By the late 16th century a greater depth of perspective and dimension was evident in Western tapestry design, aided by a more complex use of colour and yarns. The ultimate refinement came in 1804 when French silk weaver Joseph Marie Jacquard developed an earlier loom design invented in 1745 by Jacques de Vaucanson.
