A History of Tapestry: part two

It was the Andean Indian cultures of ancient Peru who produced the most accomplished weaving in pre-Columbian America. The technique of Tapestry weaving among these peoples dates back to the beginning of the Christian Era, and was well established by the 6th and 7th century. Tapestry was used to decorate garments and was often integral to the fabric itself. Surprisingly, due to the dry desert climate, a number of these weavings survived in Peruvian coastal burial sites. Examination of these relics reveals some of the most skilled and varied techniques of weaving ever present in any culture.

The study of Spanish chronicles and ancient Peruvian pottery inform us that the weaving was generally done by greatly skilled women. Such was their skill that some of the relics discovered have been found with 150 to 250 weft threads per square inch. Most of the tapestries are polychrome as the use of natural dyes made for a vast range of colors. Strong colours were favored over more subtle graded tones, especially in the Inca period. The designs were often of geometric patterns, or human and animal figures. Plant motifs were uncommon.

The viceroyalty of Peru, after the Spanish conquest, imported looms and the practice of tapestry weaving was continued throughout the colonial period. The Inca and mestizo people developed a surprising blend of Indian traditions and European Influences that is still witnessed today.

It is probable that climatic conditions in Central America and Mexico impeded the survival of tapestry relics so it is not certain whether these weaving techniques were present in other pre-Columbian cultures.

From Ancient Egypt to the Middle Ages

The Tapestries of the Native Egyptian Christians, (Copts) are of particular interest. Produced between the 3rd and 12th century they provided a link between the art of the Middle Ages in Western Europe and the art of the ancient world.

In the 4th century the practice and ritual of mummification was abandoned and the dead were buried in their daily clothes (tapestry trimmed) or wrapped in discarded tapestry wall hangings ; as a result many fragments from the 5th to the 7th century have been discovered in the Egyptian burial sites of Antinoe, Saqqarah and Akhmim. Most of the early Coptic tapestries were woven with native designs often related to the Egyptian funerary cult of Osiris and included the wine amphora and the grape vine or ivy. Because of their relevance to revival in a life after death these motifs were considered appropriate. Other favourite subjects included the lions and the hares, hunter on horseback, mythological creatures, dancing figures and baskets of flowers and fruits. Christian figures and biblical stories are rare.

Tapestries were also used for the ornamental decoration of Christian Churches but few of these tapestries survive today.

Although a few silk weft tapestries have been preserved the majority of Coptic tapestries were woven with woolen wefts on linen warps. In the 7th and possibly 8th century embroidered borders or margins often supplemented the tapestries ornamentation. The earliest Coptic tapestries were done using the silhouette technique whereby a stunning effect was created by use of a single dark color for the design or motif against a lighter background color. Polychrome tapestries became increasingly common after the 5th century.

Copyright © The Tapestry House, all rights reserved.