Metro station Louise
I was agreably surprised discovering how beautifully this exit has been decorated. The colourful tiles are so attracting that I looked all around and noticed the splendid tapestry... then I imagined I was climbing the Social Escalator.
For over six centuries, Belgian tapestry has been a highly prized luxury craft. Tapestry designs involve weaver and artists working closely together. Painters including Rubens, produced drawings for a series of weavings of six or more on grand themes. Prized by the nobility, tapestries were portable and could be moved with the court as rulers traveled their estates. As trade grew, techniques were refined; real gold and silver were threaded into the fine wool, again increasing the value. Classical myths were popular themes for tapestry series. (Source: Belgian Tourist Office)
1 comment:
Tracy Chevalier's novel 'The Lady and the Unicorn' is about a French painter and a tapestry workshop in Brussels in the 15th century who, together, produced the famous series of tapestries by the same name, now to be seen in the Cluny Museum in Paris. I guess it's mostly fiction, maybe some of the names are real, but it's a rather enjoyable novel and the technique of weaving is very well described in it. It's a good summer read, but as that season has been canceled in Belgium I guess it's okay to read any time of the year.
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