What Makes Early European Tapestries - Priceless!

By Author: Alla Marinow
Total Articles: 8
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As the saying goes: “Necessity is the mother of invention”. That has never been truer than in the history of wall tapestry weaving in Western Europe. At first, weaving found its craft in the essential production of fabric for clothing. In time, the fabric weavers branched out into more areas demanding their skills. One of those new patrons was the Catholic Church, which determined that they needed to tell and sell the story of Sin and Redemption to the masses that could neither read nor write, in the form of tapestries.

Turning to their centuries-old illuminated manuscripts for inspiration, early medieval weavers were commissioned to weave similar religious themes on a much larger scale in the form of wall hangings. These large tapestries depicted biblical themes drawn from the Old Testament and later, the New Testament. They showed the story of Christ, Mother Mary, and the disciples, establishing their celebrity as authority figures on all matters related to God, and resulting in immense influence throughout the Church realm ...
... and beyond. On Holy Days, most if not all the hand woven tapestries stored in vaults below the cathedral, would be brought out and hung on the church interior walls and sometimes draped on exterior walls and buildings, particularly along the planned procession routes. Smaller banner size tapestries were also woven for these parades. They would be mounted on poles and carried along the parade route which was sometimes strewn with flower petals – particularly on festive occasions like Lent. These grand tapestry hangings displays were accompanied with all the pomp and ceremony the Church and clergy could muster, including early music from stringed, percussion and blown instruments –most of which survive only in their depictions in some old medieval tapestries. Needless to say, these huge events were like the Super Bowl today, drawing large crowds not only for entertainment, but for Salvation.

With the growth and success of the church, some of their royal patrons started to commission tapestries not only for their sacred spaces, but also for their secular spaces- their castles, chateaux and estates. The stories they wanted to tell were, of course, related to another form of power –the monarchy and its interest in expanding its own influence and wealth. Like our contemporary media, these kings and nobles hired artisans to weave large tapestries of victorious battle scenes. These commemorative scenes usually bore one or several Coats-of-Arms, and they were hung in public and civic buildings such as court halls. Gradually, the wall hanging themes were broadened as emerging weaver guilds were commissioned to design more decorative themes for installation in private estate halls where they would rarely be viewed by the general public. These tapestries tended to display the estates set in grand gardens, thus bringing natural floral motifs indoors, where they helped warm up the vast stone halls which were often used in multi-purpose ways. During the day, they served as living and dining halls; in the evening, they became bed halls for sleeping. The halls were heated by huge fireplaces and lit by torches set at intervals along the walls. Of course, the smoke and heat created a spectacular view of the wall hanging tapestries while at the same time damaging and discoloring the wool. That’s just one more reason why tapestries originally from the medieval period are very rare. And why the few that have come down to us are …priceless!