Contemporary Tapestry Weaving

Jean Lurçat (1892-1966), who directed his energy into promoting tapestry, was not a weaver at all, but a French painter.

In the late 1950s he became interested in tapestry after visiting the fourteenth-century “Apocalypse” set in the castle at Angers, which was woven by Nicolas Bataille between 1375-79. Lurçat was immensely impressed by the skill and creativity of this tapestry.

Following his visit he became deeply involved in tapestry design and manufacture, his intention being to return to the style and technique of weaving that had existed before Raphael.

Storing tapestries properly is vitally important; many historic tapestries have suffered through being put away and forgotten in basements and cellars. Hangings, fragments and upholstery covers can be stored safely on open shelves, lined with acid-free paper or in large acid-free boxes, and covered with dust sheets.

Large tapestries should be rolled, front facing outwards, around a PVC pipe or cardboard tube or around carpet rollers, which can sometimes be obtained from a local flooring shop. The tube should be covered with acid-free paper and the textile rolled firmly over it, viewing side out and in the direction of the warp threads. The roll should be wrapped in a dust sheet and tied with white cotton tape, since rope or string, particularly if they are dyed, can damage the textile.

The Peruvians have a long, complex history and tradition influenced by many cultures.

In the ancient past they produced some exquisite woven pieces and the finest of the old textiles that have been discovered in Peru used tapestry-weaving techniques. The Inca had standardized treatments for their tunics, which were often produced in plain weave with tapestry elements set into the cloth. The Peruvians have traditionally woven shirts and tunics of great style and beauty as well as bags, tobacco pouches, belts and straps.

The expertise of the Peruvian weavers in the twentieth century has been devoted to a technique in which the warp face is seen and the weft concealed, which gives a quality rather different from other tapestry weaves. Most pieces are produced as wall-hangings, some of them quite small, with a naïve quality about the images.

Tribal tapestry exists in many forms, ranging from Middle Eastern kilims and Indian dhurrie rugs, blankets, wall-hangings and room partitions, to tapestry-weave bags and clothing.

Kilims are probably the largest group of tribal tapestries in the world. These flat-woven rugs have been made by nomads and permanent settlers for their own use for many hundreds of years all over the Muslim world, particularly in Turkey and Iran. The most ancient known kilim fragment is around 4,000 years old and was discovered in a tomb in south Russia together with the oldest known pile carpet.