The Art of Tapestry

This comprehensive publication on the history of tapestry in over two decades features over 600 historic examples from the National Trust's collection in England and Wales, offering new insights into their themes, practices, and revival in the late nineteenth century. It explores historical, mythological, and pastoral themes, production methods, purchase and distribution, and changing trends of subject matter across time, making it a valuable resource for tapestry specialists and art-history enthusiasts alike.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 27 October 2022
Publisher: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd

Tapestries have been a significant part of European art for centuries, with over 600 historic examples hanging in National Trust properties in England and Wales. This beautifully illustrated study by tapestry expert Helen Wyld offers new insights into these works, from the complex themes embedded in their imagery to long-forgotten practices of sacred significance and ritual use. The range of historical, mythological, and pastoral themes that recur across the centuries is explored, while the importance of the 'revival of tapestry from the late nineteenth century is considered in detail for the first time. The book offers a fresh perspective on the history of tapestry across Europe, with both the tapestry specialist and the keen art-history enthusiast finding a wealth of information about woven wall hangings and furnishings, including methods of production, purchase and distribution, evolving techniques and technologies, the changing trends of subject matter across time, and how tapestries have been collected, used, and displayed in British country houses across the centuries.

Weight: 1616g
Dimension: 236 x 286 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781781301128