Beginnings of tapestry

Tapestries have been made for many centuries and some cultures like the ancient Egyptians buried their dead in tapestry-like garments. In the Greek Empire, official buildings had walls covered with tapestries but it was not until the middle ages when the French weavers established tapestry as a craft in its own right and many of the most famous and well known tapestries were made in France at the turn of the 15th century. Popular medieval tapestries showed religious subjects as well as everyday scenes from the life's of both working people and the nobility. One of the developments in tapestry occurred during the Renaissance when the weavers started to copy paintings and thus making tapestries mere copies rather than an original work of art. Tapestry making factories flourished during the latter part of the 17th century, producing thousands of tapestries with intricate designs and sumptuous colours. Because of changes in society, the popularity of tapestry diminished during the French Revolution and not until 1804, when the mechanical loom was invented, did tapestry regain its former status and today tapestry making is still based on those techniques. No doubt the history of tapestry has a far richer, more complete and detailed story to tell than can be related here and many excellent web sites on the subject exist.

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