ustry stayed successful “doctrines of Colbert and Lebrun became virtually dogma and no independent artist or style appeared, either in or outside Paris, till after Colbert’s death in 1683(Bazin 101).” Despite its closing from 1694 to 1699, financial difficulties of the Crown. It reopened and only continued to make tapestries, but it slowed down during the French Revolution. Even thought the styles changed the factory was able to acquire “Savonnerie rug works, founded in 1627. It is now officially called the Manufacture Nationale de Gobelins(Microsoft Encarta).”Now that you have learned the history of the Gobelin industry, I is only natural to learn how they were made. The weavers used two different techniques. These two techniques were high and low warp. High-warp meant that the “tapestry the warp is stretched vertically in the loom; in low-warp tapestry it is horizontal(Weigert 13).”The Gobelins were neat and regular. They look as if they were made by a machine. They called the threads they used warp. Warp was wool, hemp, linen and cotton. They were called warp, because the material was very coarse. Although the majority of the tapestry was made of warp they used silk, gold and silver. These threads were used for the more luxurious hangings. The raw materials were often colorless, which meant they had to be dyed. The tapestry weavers were given the privilege to dye the materials. The pure dyes were extracted from tartar, vegetables, and insects. The synthetic colors came from alum, tin, iron, and chrome. After years of research they were able to use indigo. These synthetic colors enabled the creators to give contrasts and shades.They needed these colors to create more vivid designs and cartoons. The cartoons were designed by Lebrun, and were usually of Louis XIV’s experiences. The designs on the Gobelins were all different geometric shapes and lines. The designs and ...
