DECORATING WITH TAPESTRIES FOR THE COLD WEATHER

Finally the cold weather is coming, after the warmest and wettest December in recorded history. We have lots of new stock and the shop is looking great. Tapestries that have become a great love are in the window and hanging on the walls. They are the perfect wall hanging to  keep the cold out.  In the past they were a sign of prosperity as only the rich could afford them. They also  looked wonderful and were a reminder of warmer weather with their luxurious trees and plants,  and cavorting Gods from mythology; they also served as a barrier between the freezing cold walls of the unheated castles and grand houses of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Decorating many large houses, they are the grandest of decoration and no longer need to serve as insulation…..

Behind a later Empire period commode, an antique tapestry always adds grandeur and warmth to a room.

Here a late 17th century tapestry hangs behind a French Restauration period commode with a pair of Louis XV style gilt lanterns hanging in front

Here the same tapestry as above has a different look with a Louis XV period commode in front of it with a wonderful rococo gilt chandelier hanging above.

Here a large Louis XV Console de Gibier stands in front of a tapestry with a pair of early 19th century chairs on either side.


Here the 20th century is joined by the 18th century a wonderful tapestry by Jean Picard le Doux, in perfect condition hangs above a beautiful Louis XVI plumb pudding mahogany commode, the white background of the tapestry and the white marble of the commode seem to link the two pieces.
Where ever you hang a tapestry it adds warmth and character to a room they are a fraction of the cost of a large painting and bring with them a history and a grandeur from the past that is unparalleled……
See our collection of tapestries here.

FROM LARGE TO SMALL 8 TAPESTRIES TO DECORATE YOUR WALLS

As the first frosts appear in the mornings, and Christmas is only just over two weeks away what better time than to combine a little luxury decorating with the Christmas preparations.

1
Only six feet (183 cm) high this small Brussels tapestry has warm reds and greens and dates from the 1760's



2
With a wonderful decorative border this mid 18th century French 'Verdure' Tapestry is just over 8 feet tall and only just over 4 feet wide.


3
If you want large and impressive this 17th century tapestry of Psyche and Cupid with a magnificent border would fit the bill. Measuring 11 feet high by just over 8 feet wide with strong blues and reds.


4
This 18th century Aubusson tapestry only 6 feet square with a dark blue border is perfect for a smaller space.


5
For a large wall this beautiful 17th century Brussels tapestry with fresh colours, a very fine weave, and a highly decorative floral border, it is just over 10 feet high by 10 and a half feet wide.


6
This English Mortlake Tapestry of Apollo dates from the late 17th early 18th century. Finely woven with strong reds, blues and greens and measuring 10 feet by 8 foot six inches.


7
For lower ceilings this magical Louis XIV Aubusson tapestry with a procession of figures in a wooded landscape is only 7 foot 6 inches high.


8
For more muted tones this simple 18th century French Aubusson tapestry with the arms of a pre-revolutionary family and the date 1738 is the perfect country house decoration.


All of these tapestries and more can be seen on our website.

ANTIQUES AND ELECTIONS

The waiting is finally over and America has decided......... 

This photograph I am sharing with my good friend Allison   back in the Kings Road we have been busy. I have written about decorating with antique prints and with antiques in general and we have some seriously decorative and great looking new stock coming in. I have always loved animals and dogs in particular so found this painting irresistible .....

PORTRAIT OF A WHITE DOG AND A BRACE OF PARTRIDGES

As the days get shorter there is a need for warmth and comfort, floating linens are for the breezy summer months we now need rich colours that look good in the long winter evenings and the depth of colour found in 17th and 18th century tapestries is perfect. Originally they were used for insulation as well as decoration, hung from great iron hooks imbedded in the ancient walls of the castles of Europe. Thankfully we now have central heating and so can hang these great old works of art for pure decoration. Just in, we have this late 17th century Verdure Tapestry from Felletin a small town next to Aubusson in the centre of France. Aubusson, located in central France on the river Creuse along with nearby Felletin, was a major producer of tapestries and, later. In 1665 Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619 – 1683), minister to Louis XIV, granted an official charter entitling Aubusson to be called a Royal Manufactory, in spite of the individual workshops maintaining independence and freedom of management.  Quality of output was varied as Aubusson was popular for more competitively priced weavings, however some examples surpassed even the work of Beauvais.  The Aubusson workshops were famous for verdure and landscape tapestries in the 17th and 18th century.


Arriving in the shop soon we also have this wonderful figurative tapestry, woven in wool at the end of the 17th, beginning of the 18th century in Aubusson. Taken from Greek mythology and showing the abduction of Europa by Zeus in the form of a white bull. Europa is depicted seated on the back of the bull who is garlanded with flowers 








Measuring roughly 8' high and nearly 9' wide. These wonderful antique textiles look as good in a stark modern environment as they do in a more traditional room, and for traditional we have a magnificent commode by Jacques Dubois veneered in kingwood with gilt bronze mounts and the most amazing marble I have ever seen...............