Armorial Tapestry Wall Hanging - Art at the Castle

hello I am Tim Mayer and thank you for joining me for the art at the castle series if you celebrate holidays by displaying fine linen you might be surprised what Italian counts used in the 16th or 17th century to cover their tables domestic crafts such as needlework have tremendously decreased in modern practice but not in appreciation textiles were favorite art objects for William Randolph Hearst to collect and if they were 16th century as this one is that made them even more desirable because they were of the Renaissance a rebirth of art and architecture in Europe this ornate needlepoint on canvas our Memorial tapestry was and is displayed in part of a suite that popular 1920s actress Colleen Moore thought was an exceptional accommodation its original use as a table cover is indicated by an outward orientation of shields in the Border although the term tapestry generally refers to a weaving it can also describe an embroidery on canvas such as this one that resembles a woven tapestry this type of needlepoint embroidery was also known as canvas work until the early 19th century because canvas was used as a more durable base the canvas was evenly woven creating a square grid that was used as a uniform guide for stitches there are more than 150 types of stitches that can be used on canvas and the number of stitches can range from 600 to a micro 3000 per square inch in the 16th century most was petty point with details so fine that it resulted in a finished work of this size can consisting of tens of millions of stitches this textile measures 8 by 11 feet and is densely ornamented with an overall design of rinso which are leafy Scrolls also flowers fruit Cornucopia baskets and animals including Stags wolves leopards snakes monkeys dragons Birds donkeys and others this form of art was recommended as an activity for 16th century women and expected of those that were married it is unknown how much time or how many artists it took to create it it has a central coat of arms that belong to the branch of the Gonzaga family who were counts of novalara from Northern Italy near Parma Mr Hurst purchased it at an auction in New York in 1924. he was able to obtain European and Mediterranean Arts Antiques and artifacts without even leaving the United States because some of these countries needed money to rebuild after the devastation of World War One and therefore were allowing exports for sale this antique art is in remarkable condition for being roughly 400 years old and is displayed in the South bedroom of the Doge's Suite can be seen on the upstairs Suites tour semi-private tours like the art of San Simeon or on a private tour

Channel: Hearst Castle

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Id: 0L65XxBougM

Length: 3min 40sec (220 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 20 2023