Tapestry Gallery offers a huge range of Jacquard woven tapestries encompassing all areas of design. Wall Hanging categories include: Medieval, Renaissance, Lady & Unicorn (Licorne de Cluny), William Morris, Bayeux, Castles, Pastoral & Country Scenes, Knights & Legends, Florals & Still Life, Contemporary .... in short, we are able to offer you the best selection of woven artwork available through our online catalogue plus, rather uniquely, we also have two retail shops where you can view and buy any of the products you see here on our website ...........                                                                                    

Fashion and individual taste in art work has changed and developed significantly since the Middle Ages. Although many of our wall hangings are reproductions of original medieval, renaissance and William Morris tapestries, designs in the 21^st century reflect a more simplistic style.  Our stunning range of designed contemporary wall hangings with exotic flowers and fruits appeal to those looking for a “modern” tapestry wall hanging, complete with matching cushions for the fully co-ordinated look.  Tapestries can of course be used anywhere you would normally place wall art but especially above a sofa, fireplace, in a hallway, or indeed any wall requiring a large piece of artwork.

A collection of wall hangings depicting the romantic and chivalrous days of heroic and courageous knights who were often engaged in dangerous conflicts and other courtly pastimes such as jousting tournaments.  The legend of King Arthur and his magical court with Queen Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table has been the inspiration for many tapestry wall hangings.  Included in this category is the Knight of Sienna, a design taken from a 14^th century fresco of a noble Italian knight.

A series of six tapestries that are undoubtedly the finest examples of textile art that survive from the Middle Ages.  They were discovered badly damaged in 1844 by the writer, Georges Sand and later obtained by the Cluny Museum, Paris who have sensitively repaired and restored them.  The theme of the set is the five human senses:  taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell.  The sixth is called “To My Sole Desire” and shows the Lady beneath a beautiful canopy with the Unicorn to one side.  It is thought they were originally woven for a French Nobleman, Jean Le Viste, probably sometime between 1484 and 1500.

Medieval tapestries of the 15^th century often depicted scenes of everyday life and the background was decorated with ”mille-fleurs” (thousand flowers) which originated in the Loire region of France.  Wall hangings would illustrate stories showing the shearing of sheep and wool-working, collecting grapes and making of wine.  They also often represented the more genteel activities of noble ladies including playing music, embroidery and relaxing in beautiful gardens.  The favourite pastime of noblemen was hunting with hawks and falcons and there are many medieval designs reflecting their enthusiasm for this sport.

The era of the renaissance, which means “re-birth” in French, bought about many economical and intellectual changes during the 14^th to 16^th centuries. It was an age when artistic, social and political thoughts took new directions.  The renaissance bought new impetus to tapestry design and vibrant colours and wide richly decorated borders were introduced.  New styles were used including the use of perspective and the illusion of distance.  Hunting scenes were popular during the 16^th century and the rich and wealthy often commissioned sets of tapestries to be woven such as “Months of the Year” or the “Seasons”.

During the 18^th and 19^th centuries tapestries took on a more decorative role in interior design.  Subjects were often floral and fruit compositions and many were inspired by the great oil paintings of the Dutch and Flemish Masters such as Cornelis van Spaendonck and Jan Davidsz de Heem. The Royal Gobelins Workshops were responsible for producing many classical still-life tapestries during this period and a number of “portiere” hangings were also designed for covering doorways. Today, portieres are ideal for hallways and stairwells.

Modern tapestry weaving owes much to the vigour and freedom bought about by the Arts & Crafts Movement, headed by William Morris (1834-1896).  He was responsible for reviving many old crafts in England and tapestry weaving benefited greatly from his fresh vision and creative energy.  After visiting French tapestry weavers in 1878 at Aubusson  he had a high-warp loom built in his bedroom and  taught himself to weave using an 18^th century French manual.  With colleagues and friends such as Edward Burne-Jones and JH Dearle, he set up a company known as Morris & Co, which as well as designing tapestries also produced furniture,  wallpaper, stained glass, embroidery and murals.  We are proud to include all of Morris’ well-known wall hangings in our collection, including The Woodpecker, Tree of Life and the magnificent set of Holy Grail Tapestries.

From the era known as the renaissance through to the 19th century, wall hangings often had an architectural theme and depicted famous castles and palaces.  The wealthy often commissioned tapestries to reflect their status on the social scale and wall hangings were woven to display family Coat of Arms and their impressive great houses.  Much of the woven artwork in this category represents some of the most beautiful chateaux on the Loire, France.  Some of the tapestries offer a glimpse into the royal palaces of Louis XIV such as Bellevue and Versailles.  Heraldry was the name given to the use of armorial bearings but often called “arms”.  Arms were emblems used by knights and placed on their shields and armour to enable their followers to recognise them and not be mistaken as the enemy during battle.

Many of our cushions are small sections of the matching wall hangings and complement them to excellent effect when used as a co-ordinating decor accessory.  All our cushions have loom woven Tapestry fronts, velvet or cotton backs with concealed zips.

 Removable feather fillings are available at £4.00 each - please phone or email if fillers are required.

Tapestry Gallery offers an impressive range of woven tapestry furnishing products including footstools, firescreens, bell-pulls and table mats & runners.  Designs include both Medieval and William Morris and as most of the footstools and firescreens are made to order we invite you to contact us to discuss your individual requirements.  Tapestry furnishings are often small sections of some of the larger wall hangings and complement them to excellent effect when used as a co-ordinating decor accessory. A selection of these classical furnishings is shown on the following pages.

FOOTSTOOLS

All of our Tapestry Footstools are hand made by craftsmen using traditional upholstery methods. Each one is individualy made and as such we invite you to contact us to enable us to offer you the colour choice of surround velvet to match your room decor.

Prices range from £195-£395. Please call for detailed pricing.

A "bell pull" was basically the Victorians' version of a doorbell. It consisted of a round brass knob attached by wire through the front doorjamb to a bell, which was situated in the front hallway or entry. Pulling the knob rang the bell. The concept of the bell pull was so appreciated by wealthy Victorians, that inside the homes of the elite, bell pulls could be found in almost every room. A regal Victorian Lady simply needed to tug at an intricately decorated length of embroidered fabric with a tassel at the bottom and moments later, tea would be brought by the servant.

Bell pulls are highly collectable today as detailed and ornamental samples of an era of gracious living. They are well suited to decorate and fill small areas of wall space that require something elegant and different.

Prices range from £25-£69. Please contact us for detailed pricing.

A fabulous collection of Tapestry Handbags and Purses from a specially selected range of fabrics. All are hand made and as such, each one is slightly different in style and fabric; a small selection is available here via our online shop. However, the full exclusive range is available from our shops in Lavenham or Stow-on-the-Wold. Prices compare very favourably with high profile designer names - purses from £5.00 and handbags starting as little as £19.95. A wonderful opportunity to own a truly unique Tapestry Handbag without delving too deeply into your purse! Yet another good reason for visiting our shops.