The Art of Tapestry - Hardcover

by Helen Wyld (Author)

Extensively illustrated, this is the first accessible publication on the history of tapestry in over two decades.

Woven with dazzling images from history, mythology and the natural world, and breath-taking in their craftsmanship, tapestries were among the most valuable and high-status works of art available in Europe from the medieval period to the end of the eighteenth century. Over 600 historic examples hang in National Trust properties in England and Wales - the largest collection in the UK.

This beautifully illustrated study by tapestry expert Helen Wyld, in association with the National Trust, offers new insights into these works, from the complex themes embedded in their imagery, to long-forgotten practices of sacred significance and ritual use. The range of historical, mythological and pastoral themes that recur across the centuries is explored, while the importance of the 'revival' of tapestry from the late nineteenth century is considered in detail for the first time. Although focussed on the National Trust's collection, this book offers a fresh perspective on the history of tapestry across Europe.

Both the tapestry specialist and the keen art-history enthusiast can find a wealth of information here about woven wall hangings and furnishings, including methods of production, purchase and distribution, evolving techniques and technologies, the changing trends of subject matter across time, and how tapestries have been collected, used and displayed in British country houses across the centuries.

Author Biography

Helen Wyld studied history of art at the Courtauld Institute and has worked at the National Trust and National Portrait Gallery. After researching the National Trust's outstanding tapestry collection for four years in 2009, she joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a Senior Research Fellow and worked on the Croome Court Tapestry Room. In 2014 she joined the National Trust for Scotland as Curator, and in 2017 was appointed Senior Curator of Historic Textiles at the National Museum of Scotland.