Aubusson tapestries

Aubusson tapestries have a long

history dating back to the Middle Ages. The town of Aubusson, where the

tapestries are made, has a history of textile production that stretches back to

the 13th century, and it is believed that the first Aubusson tapestries were

produced around this time. However, the town of Aubusson really began to thrive

as a center of tapestry production in the 16th century, when it became known

for producing high-quality tapestries for the French royal court and other

wealthy patrons. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Aubusson tapestries more... became

especially popular and were produced in large quantities for export to other

countries in Europe and beyond. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the production

of Aubusson tapestries continued, although it faced competition from other

types of decorative textiles such as machine-made carpets. Traditionally,

Aubusson tapestries were made using wool yarn and a technique called

"petit point," in which the wool yarn is woven onto a canvas backing

to create a detailed and highly-textured image. Today, modern tapestries may

also be made using other materials, such as cotton or silk, and may incorporate

other techniques such as silk-screen printing or machine weaving. Aubusson

tapestries are often used as wall hangings or decorative pieces in homes, and

they are also used in public spaces such as museums, churches, and government

buildings. They are known for their durability and longevity, and many antique

Aubusson tapestries still exist and are highly valued for their historical and

artistic significance.

Aubusson tapestries originated between the towns of Clermont-Ferrand and Limoges in a group of French tapestry workshops that developed from the 14th century, created by the arrival of weavers from Flanders. The finest and most famous tapestries were decorated with illustrations drawn from the fables of French poet Jean de La Fontaine, from historical etchings and of seascapes from the school of painter Claude Joseph Vernet.

In the 19th century production of tapestries in the 17th and 18th century style restarted. In 1939 a new production unit opened, with the patterns based on designs provided by contemporary artists such more... as Salvadore Dali, Jean Lurcat, Lucien Coutaud, Raoul Dufy, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Saint Saens. The British artist, Graham Sutherland, designed an Aubusson tapestry for Coventry Cathedral, which at the time was the world's largest vertical tapestry.

The Aubusson tapestry workshops continue operating to the present time, and in 2009 were placed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity less...