Tapestry: Warp & Woof for the Ages

No craftsmen on earth work with a greater sense of pride and tradition than the 39 French weavers who today make up the Manufacture des Gobelins. In an old blackened building on the outskirts of Paris whose tradition dates back to the 15th century, they keep 17 high-warp looms busy, moving their shuttles by hand much as their forefathers did in the Middle Ages. Production is slow, averaging only 20 sq. ft. per weaver annually, but the tapissiers know that what they turn out is recognized throughout the world as the finest in tapestry.

Patron State. Their main patron, through monarchy and republic, has remained the same: the state. Today their wall hangings decorate embassies, schools and government offices wherever the French flag flies, and museums beyond count. To celebrate Gobelins’ three centuries of achievement, the pick of its greatest tapestries were on special exhibition last week at France’s Mobilier National (the government department in charge of all official furnishings). The exhibits range in style from the elaborate allegories of Gobelins’ first director, Charles Le Brun, to the joyful abstractions of the Spanish painter Joan Miro (see color page).

The Gobelins factory began with a burst of glory. Founded by Louis XIV’s energetic Finance Minister, Colbert, in 1662, its first task was to reflect France’s reigning Sun King. To keep up with his demands, 250 weavers were required, while additional shops turned out furniture, sculpture, mosaics, even locks and bolts. Presiding over all was Charles Le Brun, who gave the age its style. As first painter to the King, Le Brun decorated most of Louis’ palaces, planned Versailles’ garden statues and, above all, saw through to completion some of the most sumptuous tapestries ever created by Gobelins.

Full Range. Among the first woven was Le Brun’s series on The Elements, which ransacked classical mythology to celebrate the events in Louis XIV’s reign. One of the most famous, L’Air, drew from the full range of the factory’s 79 colors to depict, in wool, gold and silk threads, Juno, the goddess of marriage, rebuffing Boreas, the god of the north wind in Greek mythology. Courtiers understood that the real subject was Louis’ marriage to Marie-Therese of Spain, which had brought to an end France’s 25-year war with that country.

As sovereign succeeded sovereign, Gobelins faithfully followed painting as a kind of painstaking handmaiden. Not until 1937, when French Painter Jean Lurcat introduced abstractions, were the weavers released from traditional subject matter. The revitalized Gobelins factory also attracted the designs of the 20th century’s most prominent artists, including Marc Chagall, Jean Arp, Victor Vasarely and Miro. Inspired by the fresh results, contemporary architects awoke to the fact that tapestries provide a highly effective counterpoint for vast spaces and cold materials. Says Miro, enthusiastically planning to collaborate with architects on new tapestries: “As modern man becomes increasingly restless, moving from one house to another, I’m sure there will be a growing demand for tapestries. There might even be a great Renaissance.”