Tapestries hold their value because they are so painstaking to produce the sort of artistic endeavor that makes perfect sense only for a monarchy with unlimited funds, time, and craftsmen.
You first need an artist to sketch the design and a painter to turn that sketch into an oil that is the same size as the tapestry. Skilled masters then weave the tapestries using silk, wool, and sometimes gold or silver threads.
But above all you need patience because it will take a good weaver an entire day to weave a surface about the size of the human hand

The term "Goblins" applies today indifferently to all kinds of tapestry. They can as well be Low wrap Tapestries, High ones, Tapestry made with Jacquard mechanics or of Tapestries stitched with needle named in US needlepoint. In these pages we present to you the history of the manufacture which gave its name to the Tapestry and specify what one understands by High wrap and Low wrap.

• GOBELINS MANUFACTURE
• HÔTEL ROYAL OF THE GOBELINS
• THE GOBELINS
• BEAUVAIS
• THE SAVONNERIE
• CENTRE NATIONAL DES ARTS PLASTIQUES (in French)

T HE NATIONAL MANUFACTURES OF THE GOBELINS, BEAUVAIS & THE SAVONNERIE
Hugues Menes speaker to the manufacture of the Gobelins

THE GOBELINS (GOBLINS)
It is in year 1443 that Jehan Gobelin open his workshop as dyer on the edges of the Bièvre in the Saint Marcel quater, along the pathway of Italy. Its speciality is the dyeing in scarlet obtained with the cochineal. Its descendants will be maintained there until 1601. The workshop is then resold to some Flemish weavers: Jean de la Planche and Marc de Comans who however will continue the activity of dyeing.
In 1662, Colbert and Louis XIV purchase the company and give it a considerable development; one estimates indeed at 250 the number of hand weavers. The example of M. Fouquet the superintendent of finances is determining, it is indeed him who inaugurates in Maincy a tapestry workshop runing for its personal use with a Flemish labour. Besides Louis XIV will keep to its manufacture the weavers of Fouquet even finishing for their new lord and master the tapestries of the superintendent. The king rebuilds the whole of the buildings which reach us today in a remarkable state of conservation in spite of work of Haussmann in 1859 which chips the frontage of the Goblins at the time of the boring of the avenue of the same name; the Commune revolution brings its batch of destruction but the buildings are saved of a general fire. In 1913, Formige the architect builds a gallery in frontage on the avenue of the Goblins to be used as museum. For a few years the State has considered finally the general restoration of the work premises, residences of the weavers and museum. Thus at the beginning of the year 2003, the workshop known as of North was re-opened to the public, presenting work of high wrap loom within the state of XVIlth century conceived by the king. Currently, the workshop counts thirty-five lissiers (hand weavers). The production of the three departments is in the whole reserved for the need of the state services or the diplomatic gifts.
Technique: the Goblins exclusively practise the hight wrap since 1826, the low wrap from now on being reserved for the Beauvais Manufacture. Standing up vertically, the hight wrap loom consists of two timbering called binoculars or coterets (the Castle) which maintains two beams (rollers), that one to the bottom collecting fabric and the other to the top accomodating the yarn reserve of wrap. The yarn of warp are separate in two tablecloths by sticks of crosswinding (also called sticks of interval). The lissier works on the back of his work, being him self facing, across the warp, the sun light. He controls the result acroos the wrap using a mirror. He must turn over to see back to him its paperboard (carton or model). Each yarn of warp of the back tablecloth (compared to the weaver) is provided with a heddle (cotton cord which makes the turn of it) and makes it possible to bring back to front this back tablecloth; the front tablecloth remains fixed. Provided with a pin (or shuttle) the lissier (hand weaver) introduces his weftthreads between yarn of warp then brings ahead the backtablecloth before carrying out the return of the weft. He thus will completely cover the wrap with the weft, what is the essential characteristic of a tapestry or fabric for purpose of weft aspect. Far from being a simple underling, the lissier is thus a real artist who interprets the paperboard (the carton) provided by the artist cartonnier.

  Page d'accueil  -  Tell me more