Tree Of Life Tapestries & Rugs

For all lovers of the outdoors, paintings and prints abound that record the glories of nature. For the most part, however, they come across as but faint shadows of the real thing, flat and two dimensional. This is one reason tapestries featuring outdoor scenes are so popular.

The three dimensional effect tapestries bring to themes like woodland groves or stormy seas adds an inestimable amount of interest to the subject matter. There are many sizes and styles of tapestry, but ones that feature the outdoors are favorites everywhere. The natural colors blend with almost any décor, and they are appropriate for any room in the house.

Depictions of shady clearings and sunlight shafting through trees are a common sight in many tapestry shops. The peacefulness is tinged with excitement when you spot the doe and fawn almost hidden at the edge of the tree line. Other portrayals have a stag standing front and center, in full antlered glory.

Lions tigers and elephants and even camels are beautifully rendered to bring a touch of the safari right into your living area. Tame parrots and macaws can be depicted in excruciating detail, so realistic you half expect them to jump off the wall and start flying around the room.

Simple fields of wildflowers or hidden mountain springs with waterfalls are also subjects of interest, creating a calming feeling. These are lovely when placed in bedrooms and studies to provide a restful atmosphere. Garden scenes have almost an Impressionist feel when transferred to tapestry.

Other tapestries show realistic versions of farmhouses and covered bridges, trails winding across prairies and pastured livestock. Horses hang their heads over the corral fence; chickens peck in the grass. Any of these tapestries can be hung to provide a type of picture window; a view into another world.

Hunting scenes are wildly popular, featuring every aspect of the hunt from the gathering before hand to the actual chase to the capture. Hounds and horsemen, stag, fox or hare are depicted in fluid motion. These tapestries are favored for dens and family rooms, providing some action and heat on cool fall evenings.

Nautical themes are popular as well. Historical tapestries show events such as pitched battles fought on the high seas and panoramic views of harbors and merchant ships. Gondolas in Venice pull back away from the bustle and bring a quiet laziness to the viewer’s mind.

The lions, peacocks and woodpeckers shown in Pre-Raphaelite artist’s works are less lifelike but just as powerfully rendered. Mythical beasts such as dragons and unicorns abound, and interact with humans in conflict or friendship. These historical pieces are great for display in larger rooms of the house.

The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are legendary, as are several different portrayals of Saint George vanquishing the Dragon. Pastoral scenes of carthorses and swine yield glimpses into the bucolic country life if centuries ago, and the backgrounds are soothing.

Chinese tapestries with their stylized horses and intricate bird patterns offer an exotic touch. The colors used to detail the kimonos and trappings of the steeds are incredibly intense. Again, skirmishes are common themes of tapestries. Dragons figure prominently in Asian lore as well, and can be portrayed in many different way.

Smaller tapestries often focus on domesticated animals, such as dogs and horses. These tapestries can be incorporated into handbags or throw pillows. Royalty used to demand to be painted with their favorite hound or lapdog, and the trend continues to this day with owners seeking out handbags featuring their favorite breed.

Some tapestries, such as ones from India, have a bold style when it comes to flowers or fruit. If you like plump and rounded brightly colored fruit these tapestries are cheery and enjoyable. Other styles are more lifelike, drawing from the reality of nature, and some seem almost inspired.

Chenille tapestries often show flowers that look intensely real. Butterflies, too are featured and appear to be meticulously accurate down to the tiniest detail. Chenille tapestries are extremely soft, woven with a special yarn that leaves a fuzzy effect.

Still other tapestries show the outdoors in the grip of different seasons – spring flowers, summer wheat, autumn leaves and winter sceneries blanketed with snow. All of these seem somehow more alive and real in the tactile form of tapestry.

If you want the inside of your home to remind you of the outside, you can’t go wrong with tapestries. They will bring the wilderness straight into your living room, with a rich beauty and style that your family and friends will admire.

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Photo by United Nations PhotoWilliam Morris was a British designer, artist and craftsman whose designs for art and the decorative arts helped create the arts and crafts movement during the Victorian era. Morris’s talents were endless and he turned his hand to poetry, illuminated manuscripts, printing, wallpaper design and many other decorative elements. He is best known, however, for his impressive revival of the ancient art of tapestry design.
Although he initially studied for Holy Orders at Oxford he soon embraced art after meeting his lifelong friend Edward Burne-Jones. Deciding to instead become an architect he embarked on a lifelong pursuit of artistic freedom that would lead to the creation not only of some of the Victorian era’s most famous works, but revitalize and recreate the arts and crafts movement.
Through an early love of poetry he soon taught himself printing and from that learned to weave and work a loom. It was the latter pursuit that would come to demonstrate Morris’s talent at it’s most impressive. His spectacular tapestries became his most famous creations.
Morris developed an array of skills. He learned to embroider by unpicking antique pieces to learn the stitches; he set up a loom in his house and taught himself to weave with only an 18th century French manual for guidance. Within a matter of months he had completed his first tapestry design.
In 1861 Morris founded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Company along with friends Peter Paul Marshall and Charles Faulkner and subsequently begun the Arts and Craft Movement. Together with Edward Burne-Jones and fellow artists Ford Maddox Brown and Dante Gabriel Rosetti, the group produced some of the most creative tapestries and wall hangings the Victorians had seen.
It was Morris’s ambition to breathe new life into the art and he achieved it. Morris’s wall hangings and tapestries still remain an important influence on design today. His most famous works generally featured figures drew by Burne-Jones. Morris would design the background and the tapestry would be woven by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & co, which became simply Morris & Co in 1874 when Morris took sole control.
One of the most intricate and beautiful creations from the company, known as “the Firm”, is the Tree of Life tapestry. Designed by Morris it demonstrates his talent with patterns and his awareness and appreciation of the use of color. Symbolising growth and continuous life, the Tree of Life wall hanging is still one Morris’s most recognised works.
Morris & Co.’s most popular religious tapestry ‘The Adoration of Magi’ was first produced in 1890. As well as being Morris’s most ecclesiastical it was also the most complex. At least ten similar versions of the tapestry were woven between 1890-1907. Originally designed by Burne-Jones the tapestry depicts the Nativity scene.
The Quest for the Holy Grail, currently exhibited at the Birmingham Museum is one of the most well known works of Morris & Co. Like many of the others, the tapestry, which depicts the fascinating story of the search for the Holy Grail, was designed by Edward Burne-Jones. It is one of six wall hangings illustrating the story and was woven in 1895-96.
Possibly the most captivating and charming of Morris & Co.’s tapestries is the Ehret die Frauen. Designed by Marianne Stokes the hanging was inspired by a quotation from Friedrich von Schiller’s 1796 poem “Wurde der Frauen” (Women’s Worth), which appears in the upper border: “Honour the Women, they broid and weave heavenly roses into earthly life.”
One of William Morris’s most enduring legacies is his revitalization of tapestry art. By the mid-19th century wall tapestries had become just another mass produced item. Driven by the need to demonstrate the importance of the individual over the means of production Morris used tapestry and textile design to revitalize the central importance of creativity in art.
Its effect was not only felt during the Victorian era, but also well into the 20th century influencing many modern graphic designers to experiment in new areas of design. Morris’s approach, to assume all aspects of a work were open to experiment, has become more commonplace, but was unusual for its day.
Morris was one of the most prolific artists of the 19th century. The works of William Morris are proof that real beauty can be timeless. As popular today as they were over a century ago, Morris’s art has continued to inspire new generations of artists and craftsmen to reach beyond convention and genuinely create.
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