European Wall Decor

A European tapestry wall hanging displayed in a home, will bring not only just interior beauty but also a sense of history. European weavers have produced these textiles by hand for centuries, including medieval, renaissance and Arts and Crafts periods. The most famous and world renown are Bayeux Tapestries, Since the earliest known written reference to the tapestry in a 1476 inventory of Bayeux Cathedral, its origins have been the subject of much speculation and controversy. European Tapestries have been woven for hundreds of years in many diverse cultures. Both ancient Egyptians and the Incas wrapped their dead in tapestry woven clothing for burial. Important structures and buildings of the Greek Empire, including the Parthenon, had walls covered by them. However it was the French medieval weavers who brought the craft to true fruition. European Tapestries are invaluable and they are sometimes passed through generations. A tapestry can be an excellent gift. You can give a beautiful tapestry wall hanging to your family or friends to cherish and treasure for generations to come.

Today few tapestries are hand-woven. Most are reproductions of originals in museums. Modern yarns and techniques allow you to enjoy superlative copies of works of art at affordable prices, often cheaper than a framed print. Nonetheless, much work is still required to produce tapestries, especially in the design processes. The selected design and its coloring has to be transposed onto the cartoon with one square representing each single stitch. A series of up to 36,000 Jacquard perforated cards are prepared for each tapestry: these determine the movement of each warp yarn intertwining with the weft yarns. Fortunately some use can be made of computers to reduce the time involved but much skill and experience is still required. The weavers match the yarn colors from a selection of about 1,000 shades. The loom is threaded with about 12,000 horizontal warp threads which are placed in the correct order on the loom and passed through the eye of each of the corresponding 12,000 vertical loom heddles. Smaller tapestries utilize cotton (with rayon) for its fine detailing whilst larger ones introduce wool for greater fullness and richness. Once an acceptable trial result has been achieved the weaving can commence, supervised by a fully apprenticed tapestry weaver.

Designer Wall Tapestries offers hundreds of such tapestry designs, often in several sizes to choose from.