The Tapestry Book
Public-domain ebook
The Tapestry Book
Language: en12,219 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Crafts·History - Other·Art
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #26151.
About this book
The Tapestry Book is a comprehensive survey of woven art, beginning with a foreword that frames tapestries as both valuable collectibles and cultural touchstones. Helen Churchill Candee opens by noting the recent surge in market prices and the growing American appetite for these historic textiles, then outlines a chronological journey from ancient Eastern origins through Gothic millefleurs, Renaissance influences, and the flourishing French workshops of Gobelins, Beauvais, and Savonnerie, ending with modern American production. The opening pages list an extensive catalogue of illustrated plates, colored and black‑and‑white, showcasing works from European museums and private collections, while the introductory essay explains loom types, French terminology, and the hierarchy of workshop personnel, establishing the book as both a visual reference and a practical guide for discerning buyers.
Written in the polished, didactic prose of the early twentieth‑century art‑historian, the work reflects the scholarly style of its 1912 publication date, complete with formal acknowledgments and a tone that balances enthusiasm with measured instruction. Readers who appreciate richly illustrated surveys, museum professionals, collectors, or anyone fascinated by the technical and aesthetic evolution of tapestries will find its detailed descriptions, historical context, and abundant visual material both engaging and informative.
Who appears in The Tapestry Book
- W. de PannemakerMiddle‑aged Flemish man, dark hair, modest linen shirt, wool vest, work‑worn hands
- George Blumenthal, Esq.Elegant early‑20th‑century American gentleman, crisp suit, waistcoat, pocket watch, trimmed beard
The opening · free to read
An Acknowledgment
Modesty so dominates the staff in art museums that I am requested not to make mention of those officers who have helped me with friendly courtesy and efficiency. To the officers and assistants at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Print Department in the Library of Congress in Washington, indebtedness is here publicly acknowledged with the regret that I may not speak of individuals. Photographs of tapestries are credited to Messrs. A. Giraudon, Paris; J. Laurent, Madrid; Alinari, Florence; Wm. Baumgarten, and Albert Herter, New York, and to those private collectors whose names are mentioned on the plates.
H. C. C.
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