#The Tapestry of History

[world-v-you-blog]

The Tapestry of History, 12 – The Rise of the West, 7 – The Reformation, 3

(Image credit – Wikipedia – St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Paris 1572 – by François Dubois) The Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century is one of the pivotal events of Western History, and thereby of World History. The geopolitical state of the world in the 21st Century is, in part, attributable to the consequences of the division of Europe into Roman Catholic and Protestant nation-states…

[alovelywaytospendanevening]

Alexander the Great kissing Hephaestion

Tapestry at Hampton Court Palace, London.

[virgocurator]

La Bête de la Mer / Tapisserie de l’Apocalypse (Tapestry of the Apocalypse)

Medieval tapestry of the Ignatius of Antioch (Christian saint and martyr)

[degenderates]

from “All Transsexuals are Not Alike” by James Green, published in the summer 1994 issue of TV/TS Tapestry

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Six lords and ladies with fabulous beasts, fragment of a wall hanging.

Place of origin: Basle, Switzerland

Date: ca. 1410-1420

Medium: Wool tapestry

[germanpostwarmodern]

Sonia Delaunay, Hommage à Tristan Tzara, 1956 (executed in 1967), Kunsthalle Emden. Photo from September 2023.

[lionofchaeronea]

The Failure of Sir Gawaine: Sir Gawaine and Sir Uwaine at the Ruined Chapel (Holy Grail Tapestries, #4), woven for Lawrence Hodson of Compton Hall, 1895-96. Overall design and figures by Sir Edward Burne-Jones; overall design and execution by William Morris; flowers and decorative details by John Henry Dearle. Now in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, England, UK.

[molkolsdal]

Textile panel associated with prayers

Goat hair (pashmina) twill tapestry with embroidered label

Kashmir, last quarter of the 19th century (?)

The size and niche design suggest it was intended to serve as a prayer textile at home. The design was woven in the same labour-intensive technique as coveted Kashmir shawls, twill tapestry. The prominent embroidered text on the left are the manufacturer's markings. This exquisite textile was made with superior workmanship, design, and colours.

[beyond-crusading]

I need your opinion on the haircut this children's magazine gave to William the Conqueror

[acrosscenturiesandgenerations]

▪︎ Mahakala.

Date: 16th century

Place of origin: Tibet

Medium: Distemper on cotton

[hran-rad]

My dealer: got some straight gas this strain is called "the battle of hastings" you'll be zonked out of your gourd

Me: Yeah whatever I don't feel shit

5 minutes later: dude I swear I just saw some normans off the coast

My buddy Ælfric pacing: the king is lying to us

[world-v-you-blog]

The Tapestry of History, 11 – The Rise of the West, 6 – The Reformation, 2

(Image – Martin Luther in 1528, painted by Lukas Cranach – Wikipedia) All revolutions and great uprisings begin with a catalyst, something setting off the accumulated explosive energy. When the events burst forth with enough power and impetus, setting off a chain-reaction of social and political consequences which spread themselves widely, revolution may be in the making. On October 31, 1517,…

[heritagebrowser]

The beauty of Flemish tapestries.

From the 13th century till the 17th century, Flanders, Hainaut and Brabant were the epicentres of tapestry making. It were the most expensive pieces of art ( more expensive than paintings for example) from the Middle Ages till halfway the baroque period. They sometimes had silver or gold woven in it to give it more lustre. Initially only for sovereigns and the highest eclastical individuals, made on commission. The cartoons were originally made by the weavers, later by local artists, and later cartoons were sometimes made abroad and send to be woven in the workshops of the Southern Netherlands (read: Belgium and Northern France). Cities of tapestry making were among others. Atrecht (Arras : in italian tapestry are arazzi), Bruges, Tournai, Edingen, Oudenaarde, Geraardsbergen, Brussels. Even though Flanders was only one of the counties of the Southern Netherlands, the concept of Flemishis apllied to a wider area were Flemish culture was spread.

After Louis XIV broke the monopolies of the workshops in the Southern Netherlands after conquering territorirs during the Wars of the Spanish Succession, he brought over weavers from those lands and the Manufacture des Gobelins near Paris was being established, since then the French created their own style of tapestries, along with a reviving of a production in Aubusson, were flemish weaving techniques were already introduced during the 14th century and a small regional production was already established for wall and floor tapestry and for upholstery.

Many tapestries located in the areas conquered by the French Revolutionist mobs were burned in an attempt to retrieve the silver and gold ... resulting in the fact there are seemingly more surviving flemish (and french) tapestries to be found in England, Spain or Italy.

But the tapestries in this post, these are on display in the Castle of Gaasbeek, located south west of Brussels. They belong to a collection that was established during the 19th century.

One of the series of tapestries in the castle are the so-called Carrabara or Gypsy Suite dates from the Tournai studio of Arnould Poissonier and dates from ca. 1500-1525.

During the Flemish Renaissance period (sixteenth century), Tournai was one of the most important centers for tapestry production. People mainly wove with wool and silk. Typical details are the strongly defined folds in the clothing and the grass tufts that protrude everywhere in the landscape. Tournai carpets were known for their intense, contrasting colours. This is still noticeable, although the colors have faded. For example, the yellow has almost disappeared, making the green – which consists of a mixture of blue and yellow – increasingly bluer.

Gypsies used to be very distrusted, as a strange people of musicians, dancers and fortune tellers, but at the same time they were fascinating because of their unclear origins and their colorful customs. So ideal inspiration to make a tapestry about, as a conversation piece.

[virgocurator]

Lady and the Unicorn

Created in the late 15th century, is one of the most iconic works of art from the Middle Ages. This masterpiece features a series of six tapestries that depict a noblewoman and a unicorn in various scenes, surrounded by a lush background of plants and animals. The tapestries are believed to have been created for the wealthy Le Viste family in France and are now on display at the Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris.

[artschoolglasses]

Courtiers in a Rose Garden: A Lady and Two Gentlemen, South Netherlandish, 1440-50

From the Met Museum

[californiastatelibrary]

On display on the third floor of the Library and Courts building, a tapestry depicting the history of the Hmong people as they fled from China in ca. 1200 up to their arrival in the 1980s at Los Angeles International Airport. The artist of this 1980 tapestry is unknown.