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Resources

Websites

There are a number of fine medieval tapestries shown on the websites of museums around the world. Some of these are linked below.

Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence.
Metropolitan Museum, New York.
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Tapestry/
renaissance_more.htm

Unicorn tapestries
Metropolitan Museum, New York.
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Unicorn/unicorn_inside.htm

Copies based on Hunt of the Unicorn series from the Metropolitan Museum, New York, by Historic Scotland.
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/ne_news_events/
ne_feature_articles/news_fa_stirlingtapestry.htm

Apocalypse tapestries, Angers, France
http://www.monum.fr/
Click Angers and then Explore the mini-site, then Les tapisseries de l’Apolcalypse

Tapestry bibliography

An annotated list by Juliet Griffin

Overview
Ackerman, Phyllis: Tapestry the Mirror of Civilisation (AMS Press, NY, 1970 – reprinted from the 1933 edition) ISBN 404 00279 X. 451 pp. b&w. A thorough history of tapestry and those who wove it throughout the world since ancient times.

Pianzola, Maurice, and Coffinet, Julien: Tapestry (Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, NY and London, 1971) ISBN 0 442 29993 1. 127 pp. Small-format, illustrated with photos of tapestries including some unusual medieval pieces.

Phillips, Barty: Tapestry (Phaidon, London, 1994) ISBN 0 7148 2920 X. 240 pp. Superb, lavishly illustrated survey of tapestry through the ages, including a chapter on tribal weaves and another on buying and caring for tapestries.

Museum and exhibition catalogues

Adelson, Candace J: European Tapestry in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1994) ISBN 0 8109 3262 8. 476 pp. Huge, luxurious catalogue of the tapestries, organised by country of origin. Most are post-medieval. The descriptions of the tapestries are comprehensive and detailed, and include mention of the type of yarn used (wool, silk, gold or silver) though not the dyes.

Campbell, Tom, ed., Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence, exh. cat., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2002

Cavallo, Adolph S: Textiles in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Trustees of the Museum, Boston, 1986) ISBN 0 914660 09 8. 82 pp chapter on tapestries, in the form of a detailed, illustrated catalogue – only four fifteenth century tapestries.

Cavallo, Adolph S: Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1993

Erlande-Brandenburg, Alain: La Dame A La Licorne (Michel Aveline Editeur, Paris, 1993) ISBN 2 907010 31 X. 227 pp. In French. Lavish examination of the tapestries, with a great number of very clear colour plates of extreme close-up detail.

The Lady and the Unicorn (Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris, 1989) ISBN 2 7118 2282 6. 83 pp. Shorter softcover survey of the tapestries, mainly consisting of colour or b&w plates of details. Includes a history of the tapestries, comparing them with related pieces.

Fromaget, Brigitte: La Tenture de la Vie de la Vierge (1995) ISBN 2 904727 07 8. 48 pp. In French. Description and analysis of the tapestry set, with large colour plates of general views and very good close-ups. One or two photos of the reverse of details, and an account of the recent conservation of the pieces.

Guy, Marguerite: Présentation des Tapisseries de Reims – La Vie de la Vierge, La Vie de Saint Remi (Editions Michaud, printed at L’imprimerie du Nord-Est à Reims, Second edition 1973). 57 pp. In French, several reasonably good b&w plates of unusual tapestries.

Huchard, Viviane, Antione, Elisabeth, Lagabrielle, Sophie and le Pogam, Pierre-Yves: Guidebook to the Musée National du Moyen Age, Thermes de Cluny, Paris (Musées et Monuments de France, Paris, 1996) English edition (trans Margaret Clarke) ISBN 2 7118 3415 8. 126 pp, lavishly illustrated with large colour photos. Tapestry is mentioned in three chapters, and the illustrations show some of the best examples of the excellent collection of Coptic and medieval tapestry owned by the Cluny.

Joubert, Fabienne: La Tapisserie Médiévale au Musée de Cluny (Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris 1987) ISBN 2 7118 3145 0. 223 pp. In French. Comprehensive catalogue of the museum’s medieval tapestry collection, fully illustrated with colour and b&w plates of the tapestries and related materials.

La Tapisserie au Moyen Age (Editions Ouest-France, 2000) ISBN 2 7373 2457 2. 61 pp. In French. Includes a useful list of places to see medieval tapestries in France.

Muel, Francis: Tenture de l’Apocalypse d’Angers; l’Envers et l’Endroit (1996) ISBN 2 906344 26 5. 80 pp. In French. A glorious set of photographs of the front and back of many section of the Angers Apocalypse. An excellent demonstration of the vivid colours of the unfaded reverse of a 14th century tapestry. Several large close-up shots.

Oursel, Raymond: L’Hôtel Dieu de Beaune (Lescuyer, Lyon, May 1968) 40 pp. In French. History and description of the Hôtel Dieu hospital, illustrated with b&w photos of the buildings and some of its treasures. Of interest regarding tapestry solely for its colour cover, which shows a large section of a particularly fine tapestry with the arms of the hospital’s founder.

Souchal, Genevieve: Masterpieces of Tapestry from the 14th to the 16th Century: an Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1974) ISBN 0870990861. 222 pp. A very interesting exhibition catalogue, illustrated with b&w and colour plates of rare tapestries.

Wingfield Digby, George, assisted by Wendy Hefford: The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries (HMSO, 1971) ISBN 11 290037 2. 139 pp plus 4 fold-out plates. An old-fashioned discussion of the history of the tapestries (including their restoration) and of other hunting tapestries. Includes a description of hunting. Large number of b&w plates, some rather blurry.

Wingfield Digby, George: Victoria and Albert Museum - The Tapestry Collection: Medieval and Renaissance, HMSO, London, 1980.

Woolley, Linda: Medieval Life and Leisure in the Devonshire Hunting Tapestries (V&A Publications, London, 2002) ISBN 1 85177 3746. 118 pp plus large fold-out plates of each tapestry. A discussion of hunting and court fashions of the time.

Historical

Delmarcel, Guy: Flemish Tapestry (English edition Thames & Hudson, London, 1999, translated from Dutch by Alastair Weir) ISBN 0 500 01972 X. 383 pp. Very detailed account of Flemish tapestry from the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth century, with large numbers of photos of tapestries. Useful appendices giving details of makers’ and town marks.

Eirwen Jones, Mary: British and American Tapestries (Tower Bridge Publications, Essex, 1952) 98 pp. 40 pages of b&w plates. Deals briefly with the manufacture of tapestry and concentrates on the development of the art from its conception to the time of writing.

Fleischmann, Isa: Drache, Greif und Leibesleut’ – Mainzer Bildteppiche aus spätgotischer Zeit (Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein, 2000). 87 pp. In German. Illustrated, mostly in colour, including six fold-out pages. One or two excellent close-up details.

Gysin, Frédéric: Swiss Medieval Tapestries (first published 1940 in Basle: English edition – trans Robert C Allen – Batsford, London, 1947) 14 pp plus 12 plates. Essay, illustrated by b&w and colour plates.

Lejard, André (ed): French Tapestry (Paul Elek Publishers Ltd, London, 1946) 107 pp. Plates in b&w and colour. Chapters on tapestry technique, the use of tapestries in interiors, and early French tapestry.

Conservation

Grimstad, Kirsten (ed): The Conservation of Tapestries and Embroideries – Proceedings of Meetings at the Institut Royal du Patrimonie Artistique, Brussels, Belgium September 21-24, 1987 (Getty Conservation Institute, 1989) ISBN 0 89236 154 9. 118 pp. Nine chapters on tapestry, discussing principles of conservation with illustrations from actual projects. Some interesting photos, mostly b&w.

Stack, Lotus (Ed): Studies of Fifteenth- to Nineteenth-Century Tapestry, in the Conservation Research series (National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1993) ISBN 0 89468 183 4. 120 pp. Selected papers presented in October 1989 at a symposium held in memory of Joseph V Columbus. Many excellent b&w plates and diagrams including very fine close-up photos of tapestry details. Sections on conservation, dye analysis, makers’ marks and carpets.

Modern

Ingers, Gertrud: Flemish Weaving – A Guide to Tapestry Technique (Van Norstrand Reinhold Company, NY and London, 1967, English translation 1971) ISBN 0 442 03633. 112 pp. An account of how to weave tapestry, illustrated with b&w and colour photos of simple small tapestry items by Swedish weavers.

Pearson, Alec: The Batsford Book of Tapestry Weaving (B T Batsford Ltd, London 1984) ISBN 0 7134 3946 7. 136 pp. Very short historical background, followed by detailed instructions on all aspects of weaving a contemporary tapestry.

Russell, Carol K: The Tapestry Handbook – An Illustrated Manual of Traditional Weaving Techniques (A&C Black, London, 1990) ISBN 0 7136 3471 5. 176 pp. Easily the best instruction manual, comprehensive and illustrated with very clear b&w photos of the techniques in progress, including advanced techniques such as soumak. Many large colour photos of some of the best contemporary tapestries.
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