simply by bertknot

We often wonder what our forefathers were like. Where the people of the middle ages of the 14th hundred years bogged down in problem, famine, wars and success? What were the people associated with 17th and 18th hundred years Europe like? Where these people forever fighting wars, or even amusing themselves with courtroom intrigue and hunts? whilst paintings of these periods give us religious or decorative info only, tapestries on the other hand give us a view into the world from the 13th century on.

While many hand weaved tapestries from the middle ages are usually religious in nature, numerous were also woven for rich patrons who commissioned tapestries for their dank, dark fortress walls. Many themes incorporated leisure time of the lord with his ladies in gardens. or even other popular wall tapestry themes during this period in history had been triumphant battle scenes of the lord, duke or ruler. The weavers of these tapestries were typically itinerant, which means they moved from place to place setting up shop wherever there was the commission to be had. The weavers were also the artists, so when a wall hanging tapestry was commissioned, it was the particular weavers responsibility to produce the particular art work for approval prior to weaving the wall tapestry. Humor was instilled in these tapestry wall hanging styles, sometimes with or without the patron’s knowledge. For example, with a bit of ‘tongue in cheek’ the particular weaver may place themselves in the opposing army of one of the battle scenes. or even he may place his spouse as one of the servant ladies in one of the wall tapestry leisure moments, forever captured on the lord’s castle wall.

As we move on in time, the particular 16th century onward created many tapestries with search scenes, harvest scenes, town fetes (festivals), coat associated with arms and leisure backyard scenes of the wealthy.

By the 16th hundred years artists were hired to create the artwork to be made into hand woven tapestries. the particular weaver was no longer the particular artist, but was still regarded as a skilled craftsman who was compensated handsomely for producing a weaved tapestry. Weavers came with various skill sets, and by right now belonged to guilds, with the guild mark woven into the selvage of the wall hanging tapestry. While the design for tapestries has been approved for weaving by the patron commissioning the work, the particular weaver still had a few artistic license to translate the design as he saw match. Again humor enters the world of tapestries. For example, it would not be unusual to find a dog at the front of an elegant hunt picture relieving his bowels, or even in the distant background of an elegant garden scene along with noble ladies and gentleman, the servant couple engaged in a few heavy love-making, or a canine in an elaborate border of an elegant tapestry licking their genitals. Often the patron having these tapestries would discover the ‘added art work’ only when the hanging tapestry has been complete. And not lacking in laughter themselves would find it entertaining.

Sometimes humor has been woven throughout the tapestries entrusted by the church or customer. A good example of this is the Apocalypse series of tapestries now resident within Anjou in France. weaved in the 1300- 1400’s ’s they not only predicted the end of the world, but the religious information was interspersed with bawdy humor throughout showing the average man along with their noble version, in various ridiculous predicaments plus situations. A series of musical tapestries from the early 18th hundred years shows musicians playing numerous instruments – all of them searching a bit mad and in unusual postures.

Tapestries not only provide us with historic, ecological, botanical, musical information, but give us an insight into the lives, loves and laughter of the people throughout time.