Rugs, tapestries, antique and vintage fabrics, haberdashery
Fabrics have always demonstrated the power of their owners, from the purple silk cloth of the Roman emperors to the thin veils of Cleopatra. The first tapestries and embroideries appeared in antique times, but it is only with the medieval period and the Tapisserie de Bayeux – Bayeux tapestry – that they were used as hangings. In the middle Ages, bishop clothing in major cities such as Lyon, attested to the wealth of the territory and the importance of the luxury market. The first weavers, textile craftsmen, quickly found their homes in Northern Europe. Factories like Aubusson or De Witt produced items for the mighty all over the world. The 17th century marked the beginning of the important manufactures in France, Beauvais, Jouy and Gobelins, that soon competed with the Northern schools. Textile Arts are also well developed in the Far East, notably India and Japan, in the Middle East and native arts from America and Oceania. Textile art use silk, wool, cotton, cashmere, and synthetics. Textile companies produce for artists like Picasso, Dali or Jean Picart Le Doux.
