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OUDENAARDE : Wall Tapestries | |||||
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GENERAL Oudenaarde (Home) History Info on Belgium SIGHTSEEING The Town Hall The Market Square Walburga Church Wall tapestries Church of Pamele Ename
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 The first tapestry weaving activity in
Oudenaarde has to be situated at the end of the 14th century. Later, in
1441, the guild of tapestry weavers (Sint Barbara Guild) was officially
recognized. A second guild was created later (The Saint Genoveva Guild).All of the Oudenaarde tapestries were made by hand by sometimes up to 5 weavers sitting next to each other on a horizontal loom (as opposed to the French vertical loom). During the work, only a part of the tapestry was visible to the weavers who based their weaving on a carton copy of the design. Only when the tapestry was finished, the result could be admired in its fullness. It took a long time to weave a complete tapestry. An average weaver only produced a piece of tapestry as big as a grown man's hand a day. In the beginning, only a limited number of colours were used, mainly shades of green - hence the typical name "Verdures", (French for "greenery"). Later, the total amount of colours was raised to sometimes 1800 different shades. Recently, the city council of Oudenaarde decided to redesign the lower part of the Cloth Hall at the back of the Town Hall as a permanent museum for the art of the tapestry . Since the 1980's, Oudenaarde has bought several historical tapestries to enrich and enlarge its heritage. The present collection counts about 23 pieces, 13 of which will be on permanent display in the museum. Wall tapestries, which have not survived really well, are first renovated and later preserved in the restoration workshop situated in the historical "Huis de Lalaing (De Lalaing House). |
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