The link between tapestries and painting

In 2023 I added tapestries to A Cup of Cloudy’s arsenal of artwork. Unlike many of the other decor items I sell, tapestries demanded a lot more hands-on work outside of the usual painting, surface design, and click “order.” Suddenly I was sewing, ironing, and working with woven fabric – a totally new medium to me. 

Of course I was still painting and designing for these. But I was also involved in the weaving, sewing, stuffing, and attempting to translate my illustrations onto a completely different surface. 

I felt strange going from painter-illustrator to tapestry maker. I love painting, drawing, and digital art. But when I started sewing I fell in love with that too. As someone who teaches on having a cohesive art style, this felt like an internal struggle.

It also felt like maybe I was acting out of line according to tradition. Woven tapestries have a long long history and the people who collect them often care a lot about this history. I wanted to create art my way. I wanted to incorporate the modern tools of our age, like computerized looms and digital art. But I also didn’t want to alienate people who care about the art form or tarnish the history.

So I began reading deeper into the history of tapestry making. I’ve always had an interest in art history, and studying felt like quenching a thirst. Surprisingly to me, I discovered the long standing relationship between painting and weaving.

Tapestry weaving has ALWAYS been linked to painting. 

EARLY COPTIC TAPESTRIES

At first it seems the paintings were loosely made on top of the warp fabric, before weaving in the weft. 

(Warp is the base threads that go all vertically. Weft is the colored threads that go across that actually make the image.)

The painting in this scenario acted more like a sketched design. But it was there and served a great purpose. 

The designs on the earliest tapestries, called Coptic tapestries, were extremely simple. No intricate paintings were necessary. The paintings atop the base fabric were used completely in service to weaving and did not stand alone as their own art form.

Coptic tapestries were found in Egypt in the 1400’s BC to clothe the dead using a simple linen tabby weave. Simple tapestries made with silk called kesi were found in China around 700. Different cultures handled the art form differently, but all had a relationship to painting that grew over time.

Tapestry makers were thought to be sometimes nomadic, providing goods to many countries and traveling to where the highest demand was at the time. This probably spread ideas, materials, and art trends.

GOTHIC ERA PRIORITIZED TAPESTRIES

When more intricate designs or images were desired for the wall hangings, painters were hired to make images for them. This era is typically called the Gothic Era. It spanned the 12th-16th centuries. Paintings were made in service to tapestries, but they could also stand alone as their own art form. 

However, weavers were allowed many creative liberties with the images they received for the project. They often added flowers to fill space (known as mille fleurs) and changed the position of characters to better suit the layout as it applied to tapestries. 

Personally this reminded me of a time when I made a drawing that I wanted to get tattooed. I brought it to the tattoo artist and she said, “This is an awesome design but this part here in the middle will look awful on your skin. Let me tweak it a bit.” She did, and it still looks awesome in the ditch of my elbow to this day.

Different mediums require different compositions. 

Weavers were allowed lots of tweaks in the Gothic Era. Threads had a more limited color palette due to dyes, different shading capabilities and less fluid shape. Lots of expensive gold, silver and wool threads were used during this time. Tapestries had a definitive style very separate from the paintings they were inspired by. 

Tapestries were also designed according to where they would be used, too. Often they were decorative. They also were used as insulation in castles and churches. They were designed for doorways to keep out drafts. They also were used as seat cushions or pillows. 

There are many records listing painters and weavers and the noble clients who commissioned these works for specific purposes.

WEAVING BECAME SUBORDINATE TO PAINTING

In the Classical era, beginning around the 1500s, weaving was used in service to painting. This meant weavers were required to make the tapestry the closest copy of the desired painting as possible. Painting was really having a moment with famous creators like Leonardo Da Vinci and Michaelangelo taking the stage. Raphael himself even made a few paintings for tapestry commissions!

In trying to make the tapestry look exactly like painting, lots behind the scenes of manufacturing and politics changed. 

We won’t get heavily into the details of the weaving guilds of Brussels or the requirements to become a master weaver, but it’s important to note that when weaving became subordinate to painting, the manufacturing houses suffered. The cartoon painters stopped respecting the rules of tapestry making. No one wants their art form demoted to the role of a copy machine, especially when each tapestry took years to complete. Lots of people quit, were exiled, and the quality of their work slid downward.

The industry suffered during this time and it took the conscious efforts of a king to reignite it. 

King Henry II and Henry IV both worked to help the industry for France through funding, appointing artists to lead weaving houses and more. Charles le Brun, a painter who led the Gobelins Manufactory workshop in France, favored balance between the roles of painters and weavers, respecting each craft separately. The perfect collaboration was achieved in this instance, and quality tapestries were made. But the trend of favoring paintings overall did not end. 

COLOR DIFFICULTIES

Charles Le Brun’s successors including Pierre Mignard and Jean-Baptist Oudry favored paintings over fabric art. They even changed the manufacturing process to help tapestries better imitate paintings. 

They expanded the use of varied colored dyes for the threads and quit the practice of cross hatching threads (a technique unique to weaving) to produce intermediate shades. 

Charles Le Brun had used around 30 colors in the mid 1600’s. By the mid 1800’s there were 14,400 colors in use for dyes as the result of chemical innovations by Michel-Eugene Chevreul. This made tapestries look more like stunning paintings in fabric, and took away that Gothic era tapestry vibe. 

But there was backlash against the use of all these dyes because they were less stable. They were temporarily bright and beautiful but faded more quickly. Today, tapestries that used these are mostly shades of grey. 

But also today, we have made even more progress with chemical dyes and can achieve those bright varied colors which do not fade, either. At A Cup of Cloudy we use a mixture of uniquely colored threads and cross-hatching to create new shades. 

Still, a woven tapestry will never look EXACTLY like the painting it’s based off of. That’s the nature of different mediums. And maybe they shouldn’t strive to look exact?

Today someone with the aspiration to make fabric look exactly like their painting might print ink directly onto simple fabrics. Inks are much closer to paints in consistency. They’re a more related medium. The printing press wasn’t invented until 1440. It wasn’t used widely until years later.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WERE INTERTWINED

It’s interesting how painters often managed the entire manufacturing center. They were the leaders, above the weaving workers. 

These houses often were complete with drawing schools, where students learned to paint and make models for the weavers. 

Industry-specific language was developed: “Design” or “idea” meant the artist’s original work. “Model” referred to a painting made to the exact size of the tapestry by the artist. “Cartoon” is what they called the pattern used for the actual weaving. 

Noblemen were the patrons or customers. They heavily influenced trends. This is true of lots of art – creators try to appeal to their collectors so they can make a living from their craft. Especially after the monarchies began appointing painters to head the weaving houses, the relationships with royalty became very intertwined and it shows in the art.

Every tapestry was a true collab between painter, weaver, and commissioner.

MIXING MEDIUMS ISN’T NEW

Essentially, being a painter and a tapestry-maker at the same time is honoring this collaborative tradition. And being primarily a painter managing my own manufacturing is on point too. 

I love making my own models and executing on my own tapestries, too.

And now I feel like I belong in this space. 

Funny how a little research into the history of your craft can bring so much confidence!

If any of this was fascinating to you, I’m sure you’ll love to take a look at the tapestries available at A Cup of Cloudy. I also post process videos and behind-the-scenes on social media @acupofcloudy. 

Find my tapestries and paintings here.

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