The beauty of Flemish tapestries.
From the 13th century till the 17th century, Flanders, Hainaut and Brabant were the epicentres of tapestry making. It were the most expensive pieces of art ( more expensive than paintings for example) from the Middle Ages till halfway the baroque period. They sometimes had silver or gold woven in it to give it more lustre. Initially only for sovereigns and the highest eclastical individuals, made on commission. The cartoons were originally made by the weavers, later by local artists, and later cartoons were sometimes made abroad and send to be woven in the workshops of the Southern Netherlands (read: Belgium and Northern France). Cities of tapestry making were among others. Atrecht (Arras : in italian tapestry are arazzi), Bruges, Tournai, Edingen, Oudenaarde, Geraardsbergen, Brussels. Even though Flanders was only one of the counties of the Southern Netherlands, the concept of Flemishis apllied to a wider area were Flemish culture was spread.
After Louis XIV broke the monopolies of the workshops in the Southern Netherlands after conquering territorirs during the Wars of the Spanish Succession, he brought over weavers from those lands and the Manufacture des Gobelins near Paris was being established, since then the French created their own style of tapestries, along with a reviving of a production in Aubusson, were flemish weaving techniques were already introduced during the 14th century and a small regional production was already established for wall and floor tapestry and for upholstery.
Many tapestries located in the areas conquered by the French Revolutionist mobs were burned in an attempt to retrieve the silver and gold ... resulting in the fact there are seemingly more surviving flemish (and french) tapestries to be found in England, Spain or Italy.
But the tapestries in this post, these are on display in the Castle of Gaasbeek, located south west of Brussels. They belong to a collection that was established during the 19th century.
One of the series of tapestries in the castle are the so-called Carrabara or Gypsy Suite dates from the Tournai studio of Arnould Poissonier and dates from ca. 1500-1525.
During the Flemish Renaissance period (sixteenth century), Tournai was one of the most important centers for tapestry production. People mainly wove with wool and silk. Typical details are the strongly defined folds in the clothing and the grass tufts that protrude everywhere in the landscape. Tournai carpets were known for their intense, contrasting colours. This is still noticeable, although the colors have faded. For example, the yellow has almost disappeared, making the green – which consists of a mixture of blue and yellow – increasingly bluer.
Gypsies used to be very distrusted, as a strange people of musicians, dancers and fortune tellers, but at the same time they were fascinating because of their unclear origins and their colorful customs. So ideal inspiration to make a tapestry about, as a conversation piece.
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