From this lecture I learnt that tapestry is a form of textile art, dating from the 3rd Century BC. The earliest tapestries, which have been found preserved in the desert of Tarim Basin, were made by the Greeks.
A tapestry is woven by hand on a vertical loom. It is the weft thread which gives the colour and produces the image or pattern on the tapestry. The weft threads are usually dyed wool or cotton, but may include gold or silver to give the colour to the tapestry. The warp threads are left un-dyed and usually add strength to the piece.
Arras, France was a thriving textile town back in the 14th and 15th centuries. These fine wool tapestries were sold all over Europe, decorating palaces and castles. They had many advantages over decorating castles than paintings. This was because they were much more durable and easier to clean. As they were thin, they didn't provide much in the way of insulation, thier primary purpose was decoration.
Sadly few of these tapestries survived the French Revolution as opportunists realised they colud remove the gold thread from the tapestry to make quick money.
I did find this lecture interesting as it gave me an insight to the meanings behind certain tapestries, and how there's a more intense and deeper meaning to some. The term used for this is "allegory" a word I've never come across before, so that was interesting to learn about.
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