History of European Tapestries and Where to find The Best

European tapestry has its roots in France, Italy and Germany. These tapestries while still being woven by hand used much brighter colors and different textures. The tapestries of this period were often made using silk and metallic threads. One of the popular possessors of European tapestry were the rulers of this period of history since it afforded them a way to boast of their power, position and wealth in an acceptable mode.

These royals usually considered these works to be family heirlooms which were to be very prominently displayed. Among the many subjects depicted in European tapestries were nautical scenes and maps relating to a particular battle or in the case of maps, routes taken for various important events were displayed using this medium.

Another use of European tapestries was to copy and preserve ancient works of art which can only be found in museums and other famous galleries. One of the popular paintings of this period which was depicted in European tapestry was ‘Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli. Many works by the artist Raphael were also captured in tapestries of this time period. Unicorns and other mythical representations was another very popular subject for European tapestries.

Modern European tapestries are now made with the designs being woven on special loom which allows the creation of items outside of the realm of wall hangings such as bell pulls and handbags. Since tapestries are well constructed and can be preserved for many years, in some cases the price range can be from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.