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How to Identify an Antique Tapestry

A pictorial textile handwoven on a loom, or tapestry, has been used in the past for furnishing and even apparel, but the word is most commonly associated with large wall-hangings, originally employed in the drafty baronial halls of the Middle Ages as insulation and room dividers. Machine-made tapestries continued to be produced in Europe well into the 20th century, but you should be able to spot an antique example by following a few simple steps.

Instructions

- 1
  Inspect the reverse of the tapestry. On handwoven examples the design should show through clearly on both sides, whereas this will not be true of a later machine-made example.
- 2
  Look at the tapestry's colors. Antique examples would have employed unstable natural dyes, so expect to see some fading or even discoloration, but a glance at the reverse will reveal the original warm tones. Reproductions, by contrast, tend to be printed in muted brownish colors in imitation of faded fabric.
- 3
  Check for signatures or monograms. Tapestries from the 16th century were often marked with a monogram -- usually looking like a combination of numerals -- representing the name either of the client or of the tapissier (the tapestry-weaver). By the next century, the tapissier's initials were being used on some tapestries, and on later examples you can sometimes find full signatures.
- 4
  Consider the subjects depicted. Very early tapestries dealt with religious subject matter, and would also frequently commemorate scenes or achievements from the client's life -- in the case of powerful noblemen, the achievements sometimes being battles. Later tapestries drew on Greek and Roman mythology and other sources such as popular paintings of the time, particularly ones evoking bucolic scenes.

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