Tapestry is fabric hung on the wall for decoration and often to tell a story. The history of the tapestry can be traced as far back as Egypt, 1500 B.C. The 4th to 8th century A.D. saw Coptic versions crop up in the Church leading to convents and monasteries becoming known as centers of the art.
Tapestry grew to be a craft undertaken by many. Tapestries are not confined to any one format but are each as unique and original as its creator. Ancient Chinese pieces were woven out of fine silks and interlaced with golden threads. The first grand French tapestry woven from wool was in the 14th century.
The tapestry is a wonderful instrument for telling a story with no words at all. The Church put this method to use over the 14th and 15th century in its congregations for their illiterate worshippers. Few of these are known to still exist. One set of six pieces remains in Paris portraying the Apocalypse of St. John, woven 1375-1379.
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Representing power and prestige, Kings would travel with tapestries as it was flaunted as a status symbol in the Middle Ages. Often, after battle these tapestries would change hands from the defeated to the victor.
There were more practical uses for tapestry as well, such as insulation against the cold and bed hangings to ensure privacy. Many of the finest pieces of tapestry work over the years are now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Metropolitan Museum.
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