Tree Of Life Tapestries & Rugs

If you have never considered a tapestry as part of the wall decor of your home, you have been missing out from one of the most beautiful and individual art forms of all time. Although tapestries have been around for many centuries, the variety or selection of themes available today is by far what is so exciting about these woven works of magnificent art. In the beginning tapestries were hand woven and took many, many hours of work to produce the final product. This left little to choose from in the form of tapestry subjects. The early tapestries were either likenesses of royalty or images conceived from Bible stories. Down through time, with the invention of machines to produce tapestries, this art form became much less time consuming. The result was that tapestries could now be made with the same or better quality in a variety of different art topics and could be duplicated many times over for all who appreciated fine art at a reasonable cost. Today you have choices. More choices than you could possibly imagine. So you have to ask yourself, “What am I looking for in a tapestry?” Only you have the answer to that question. The answer lies in the theme or basic decor of the room in which you plan to hang the tapestry. There are several factors involved in choosing a tapestry for your decorating theme. You have to know style, genre, color and theme. Once you have answers to those, you now have to decide on size. But let’s not get too far ahead. We should go over this in deeper detail. I’m going to start out with tapestry styles. When we talk about tapestry styles you have, but are not limited to Fine Art, Decorative, Modern, Vintage, Abstract, American Folk Art, Antique Traditional, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, Classical, Cubism, Figurative, Impressionism, Native/Primitive, Neoclassicism, Post-Impressionism, Pre-Raphaelites, Realism, Renaissance, Romanticism, Traditional, Transitional, Viennese and Expressionism. Try not to be overwhelmed by the long list of styles. This is good because you have something in this list that will complete the decor of almost any decorative theme a room could possibly have. Now let’s explore genre. Genre actually sets the mood or topic of the tapestry. Here your choices are, but not limited to Action/Adventure, Alternative, Classical, Contemporary, Contemporary Still Life, Country and Rustic, Drama, Fantasy, Novelty, Patriot, Romantic, Still Life and Traditional Still Life. There are more genres, but this give you a starting point to explore. Next you will want to consider color. After all, your tapestry should fit in with the color scheme of the room in which it hangs. With color you have black and white, blacks, blues, reds, browns, creams, golds, grays, greens, oranges, pinks, purples, tans, whites, yellows and multi-color. This is just a partial color list to give you an idea of the choices you have. Last, but not least, you will want to consider themes to match the environment of the room you will proudly hang your tapestry. The theme you choose will set the entire mood or feel of the room. Whatever emotion you want to express will be brought to the forefront through the theme of your tapestry. Here are some of the themes offered on these beautiful woven works of art. You have Entertainment, Fashion, Gambling, Nudes, Coffee/Tea, Wine, Fruits/Vegetables, Cuisine, Angels, Portrait, Figures, Botanical, Bouquet, Mediterranean, Backyards & Patios, Countryside, Desert, Farms, Floral/Plants, Formal Gardens, Fruits, Lake & Pond, Landscape, Nature/Outdoors, River and Streams, Seaside, Southwestern, Still Life Plants, Towns, Trees, Tropical, Cityscapes, Architecture, Storefronts, Architectural Detail, Buildings, European Buildings, Houses, Restaurants/Bars, Children’s Art, Antique Maps, Maps, Animals, Birds, Fish/Marine Life, Jungle Wildlife, Birdcages, Dogs, Horses, Insects, Shells, Tropical Birds, Wildlife, Medieval, Native American, Victorian/British, War/Military, Mythology, Pottery and Vases, Antique, Sports, Holidays and Special Occasions, Motivational and Religious. Although the list of themes above is quite large, it only touches on a small part of all the themes available on a wall tapestry. I provided you with this list of tapestry themes in order to give you an idea of the big picture (no pun intended). I wanted you to see just how large a selection is truly available to you. The great benefit of adding a tapestry to the decor of any room is how the room comes alive with emotion. No matter what style, genre, color or theme, you will always have a feeling of pride when you enter a room that displays a tapestry proudly.

The revival of medieval tapestries in the 19th century has a lot to do with the works of William Morris. Tapestries own their popularity and resurgence to the arts movement headed by William Morris in the late 1800’s throughout England. Morris was responsible for reviving many old art forms, but some of his most famous works were tapestries including the tapestry entitled The Tree of Life. Morris was part of a wealthy family and after an unremarkable childhood attended Exeter College in Oxford England. Morris had always had an interest in art, especially the works of the pre-renaissance era, but it was not until he met painter Edward Burne-Jones that he began his creative quest to revive and preserve medieval art forms. Burne-Jones, Morris, and other students founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood a group of artists that looked to the art and culture of Middle Ages for inspiration. Tapestries were of special inspiration to Morris who though modern production methods and designs were not nearly as creative and noble as the methods and designs of centuries past. He built a traditional high-warp loom and taught himself how to weave in the traditional French manner. He designed some of the most famous tapestries of the time including The Tree of Life and The Woodpecker with help from colleagues. He used medieval styles, techniques, and inspiration to create these famous hangings. Morris went on to found a production company, Morris and Co. who produced many different textiles from carpet to wallpaper and gave Morris a great outlet for his creative designs. Morris and Co. eventually dissolved but not for a few years after Morris’ death and after creating many different works of art. Morris designed and produced stained glass, tapestries, ceramic tiles, furniture, wallpaper, and carpets. Morris and Co. went a long way in reviving many of these ailing crafts and art forms. Burne-Jones also worked with Morris and designed many pieces for Morris and Co. Burne-Jones designed many tapestries as well as window glass all of which having inspiration from the Middle Ages. Burne-Jones had a special affinity for tapestries, and like many of his other works he specialized in creating figures in his tapestries. He became an expert craftsman and even lectured on the subject. Morris and Burne-Jones also designed and manufactured furniture along with their other Morris and Burne-Jones’ foray into furniture design began in 1856 when they began designing furniture for their empty rental after being unable to find furniture that met their aesthetic tastes. This led Morris to explore embroidery and different styles of furniture decoration. Morris believed that a designer should be experienced in all of the aspects of a technique so he studied fiber dying techniques as well. Morris designed and created many tapestries and wall hangings entirely himself, even dying the thread with plant materials. One such wall hanging entitled If I Can was one of the first that Morris designed and created and also reflected his desire to see his work through from idea to finished piece.