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Medieval Tapestries
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In the
typical medieval castle, it was not uncommon for the walls
to be roughhewn timber or perhaps exposed stone. It was
virtually unknown for the interiors to be painted or finished.
However in an effort to decorate the interiors of the
castles and other buildings, tapestries were hung as decorations
to bring some style and color to an otherwise bland environment.
In addition to providing decoration, tapestries also were
hung around beds, to partition rooms or to provide warmth
as castles had a tendency to be cold, damp and drafty.
Initially, the church saw the benefit of depicting stories
from the scripture in the tapestries and began producing
them in an effort to bring the stories of the bible to
the common man. However, tapestries became the fancy of
the wealthy and soon became a status symbol as the art
form spread though Europe. Tapestries guilds were formed
and the art became a recognized industry form. At the
peak of production, it is estimated that more than 15,000
artisans worked in the creation of tapestries. As the
weaving of tapestries was a skilled profession, fathers
passed their skills and businesses on to their sons as
apprentices. It would take 12 years for an apprentice
to become a master of the tapestry process. Women were,
by rules of the guilds, prohibited from participating
in the weaving process with the exception of the spinning
yarn.
 New technology, specifically, newer looms for weaving,
allowed for larger, more ornate tapestries to be made
from the 14th century on though some of the weaving and
detail work was still done by hand. Most of the secular
medieval tapestries were created in luxury workshops where
they were done for the nobility. Frequently, tapestries
were made to commemorate significant events, battles or
other important occurrences. As well, biblical and mythological
stories were often portrayed. As a result of the commemoration
of historical and other significant events, it is not
uncommon for tapestries to be consulted when researching
the history of specific events, regions or historical
figures.
In addition to being a skilled weaver, the tapestry artisans
had to be experts in the science of dying. In medieval
times, there were a limited number of colors available
for dying – not more than 20. So the artists had
to be creative. The craftsmen would also use gold and
silver thread to enhance the scenes they were creating.
Using sketches and their creativity, the craftsmen would
slowly work their art giving their own interpretation
to their work. It was not uncommon for it to take two
months for a square foot of tapestry to be completed.
For larger works, teams would work on individual sections
that would later be joined together.
It is believed that tapestries worked themselves to Europe
through Spain perhaps originating with the Moors. The
European weavers took a textile art form that was already
a thing of beauty and expanded it to the art form that
many study today.
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