I had no idea how important a medium tapestry was prior to stumbling on the Met exhibition during a recent visit to NYC and then reading this book. I was amazed to learn the amount of money spent to produce (and purchase!) them, and how important the industry was to the economy of the time . Anyone who thinks of tapestries as beige, boring and historically insignificant is in for a surprise.As for this book itself, the photography is stunning and lavish. Each time you look at one of these magnificent works you see something new--it's hard to believe that these are woven objects, the detail and color is so vivid...no wonder the NY Times listed it as a holiday gift buy. (I think they rated the accompanying exhibition one of the year's best too)
Average Rating:
Author:
- Mr. Thomas P. Campbell
- Tom Campbell
ISBN: 0300093705
Number Of Pages: 600
Languages:
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
Product Description:
Tapestries-the art form of kings-were a principal element in the ostentatious magnificence used by powerful Renaissance rulers to broadcast their wealth and might. During the period between 1460 and 1560, courts and churches lavished vast sums on costly weavings in silk and gold thread from designs by leading artists. In this beautifully illustrated book, contributors analyze some of these gorgeous tapestries, examine the stylistic and technical development of tapestry production in the Low Countries, France, and Italy during the Renaissance, and discuss the contribution that the medium made to art, liturgy, and propaganda of the day. The first major survey of tapestry production between 1460 and 1560, the book presents forty-five surviving tapestries along with some twenty preparatory drawings and cartoon fragments. Featured are examples designed by Italian masters Raphael, Giulio Romano, and Perino del Vaga. In addition, works by Netherlandish designers such as Bernaert van Orley and his followers are included, demonstrating how elements of the northern design tradition were fused with Italianate innovations, resulting in an extraordinarily rich aesthetic, ideally suited to the medium.
Amazon.com Review:
Often slighted by art historians, tapestries were actually the most widely commissioned figurative art form in Europe in the 1500s. In Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence, Thomas P. Campbell and other scholarly contributors survey the elaborate woven hangings produced primarily by Flemish workshops for the palaces and cathedrals of Italy and Northern Europe. The authors discuss the designers' careers, patrons' motives, symbolic meanings of the imagery, and stylistic features unique to the labor-intensive medium. Initially, the need to lessen skilled weavers' workloads led designers to arrange elaborately costumed figures in manageable rows. Raphael's cartoons (full-size drawings) for the monumental "Acts of the Apostles" tapestries, commissioned by Pope Leo X, moved the art form into a new era. Flemish designers incorporated Raphael's spatially persuasive treatment of the figure into sophisticated narratives full of anecdotal detail. The 250 color photographs, specially commissioned for this catalog for an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in spring 2002, vividly illuminate the technical brilliance of these works. --Cathy Curtis
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List Price: USD 50.00
Lowest Used Price: USD 28.75
Lowest New Price: USD 34.38
Customer Reviews
Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence
This book is 'sumptuous'. Beautifully bound and a really first class book with lots of beautiful illustrations.
Excellent Introduction to the Medium
This is an ideal "starter book" for anyone interested in tapestries. Although not as complete as La Tapisserie by Verlet & others, it'll give the reader a reasonable understanding of the art as a whole.
Incredible Work
Having marveled at the tapestry I purchased from Simply Tapestries, I went to the Museum of Modern Art to see their recent exhibit of Flemish tapestries. This book can almost act as a companion of this exhibit. I am amazed at the quality and quantity of the full color artwork. This book is a must for anyone who has purchased or intends to purchase a tapestry. The authors are obvious experts in their field. A wonderful art book of the highest quality. I learned so much about the history of these wonderful pieces of art.
Best collection available
This collection depicting the tapestry exhibit recently held at the NY Met Museum is an indisputable gem. Entries are consise and thorough. Photographs are well done, some a bit too grey, but overall usable to all textile artists.
Well worth the price and a steal at Amazon's price.
