Gobelins by Nature. Elegy of Verdure, 16th-21st centuries, exhibition - Exhibition - PARIS

A background of dense greenery.

The theme of flora is particularly favoured in the production of tapestries from the Middle Ages. Over time, according to changes in taste, living conditions and artistic concerns, the representation of the plant world was to be expressed in different forms: "millefiori", verdure, cycles of the months and seasons, landscapes and so on.

A "verdure" is characterized by the omnipresence of dense greenery, which covers almost the entire woven surface. These tapestries, mainly decorative, offer a window into a pleasant landscape. At the end of the fifteenth century, there was a trend for small flowers filling the entire background. Around 1520, a new design replaced the "mille-fleurs". Then the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the "verdure" became more complex…

The exhibition is not arranged chronologically but rather in an educational way.