MEDIEVAL TAPESTRIES - What were they used for?

Question

MEDIEVAL TAPESTRIES - What were they used for?

Answer 1

Tapestries have been around since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They are largely for decorative purposes, since the best wool tapestries are nearly as colorful and graphic as oil paintings. But tapestries- including those of the Medieval and Renaissance Ages- had probably two notable advantages:

-Tapestries, unlike large paintings, could be easily rolled up, transported, and placed on any castle or building wall.

-Tapestries, being made of animal fiber like wool, helped insulate large rooms of castles.

The best tapestries come from northern Europe, notably a region known as Flanders (now in the state of Belgium). Flemish tapestries are some of the most sought-after and expensive.

Answer 2

Medieval Tapestries had dual purposes. You would hang a tapestry on the wall it would help keep the room warm. And also it was art.

Answer 3

Medival tapestries were used to tell a story-- political, historical (wars, battles), or religious stories. Look at the Bayeux (sp?) Tapestry. They recorded history in a way that was practical, functional, and probably a form that women could participate in. I think Queen Matilde is credited with the Bayeux Tapestry.

Answer 4

The success of decorative tapestry can be partially explained by its portability. Kings and noblemen could roll up and transport tapestries from one residence to another. In churches, they could be displayed on special occasions. Tapestries were also draped on the walls of castles for insulation during winter. In 1977 an unuasal turnabout occured with tapestries were they had now begun

Answer 5

They were often served dual purposes. 1) to decorate normally barren and bleak walls. They added color to walls that had nothing but stone to show. 2) The kept the castles from being too drafty. Tapestries are thick and heavy and would cover large sections of a wall at one time. They covered over the spaces between the stones that allowed for drafts and such to move through, keeping the inside warmer for inhabitants.

Answer 6

They were art, and they were also put on walls basically for insulation. These perople didn't have heaters and they lives in castes of stone, so putting material on the walls was a form of holding in heat.

Answer 7

Insulation and to tell a story of a great battle king etc.