The subject of this book is tapestry, with a particular focus on
the function and use of hangings, and on the eventuality or
necessity of owning them in the modern world. It is thus viewed
from an angle warranted by an inquiry into the determination of the
object. The relationship of that object to the place for which it
was intended or in which it is used is a crucial point, for, by its
very nature, tapestry can be easily moved and can take on a new
meaning in a different setting. This apparent truism is rendered
complex by the specific characteristics of tapestry, which places
any analysis in the dual perspective of furnishings on the one hand
and of large-scale architectural decor on the other and touches at
the same time on the sociology of art and its reception. The point
of departure for this study is the celebrated Barberini family,
which assumed a prominent position within Roman nobility by virtue
of the authority of Urban VIII, who was elected Pope in 1623.
Patrons of the Arts and Letters, the Pope and his nephews,
Cardinals Francesco and Antonio Barberini, as well as Prince
Taddeo, brought together more than nine hundred tapestries to adorn
their sumptuous palaces and to decorate churches for ceremonial
occasions. The sources drawn on consist of a vast ensemble of
archival documents (inventories, records of payments and
correspondence) from the Vatican Library. The first two parts deal
with the problem of individual taste for a given type of object,
tapestry in the present case. They pay particular attention to the
manifestations of the Barberinis interest in it, to their
admiration for such and such a hanging, and to their private
commissions. They inquire into the significance of the foundation
of the family tapestry works by Cardinal Francesco Barberini. The
third part is based on a discussion of the daily use of the
tapestries in palaces, but also of occasional use for events on
festive or ceremonial occasions outside, in the streets of the
city, or in churches. This part in fact attempts to answer the
question as to the way in which, in a hierarchical and codified
society, an interest in a given art form can be expressed in
interior decoration in a way that allows awareness of its specific
characteristics. The fourth part is concerned with the notion of
patrician collection and the dispersion of the latter. Nearly
two-thirds of the extant tapestries have been localized in the
United States, in the museums of Boston, New York, Philadelphia,
Cleveland, Flint, Minneapolis, San Francisco, etc., Charles M.
Ffoulke, a Washington collector, having bought an important lot
from the Barberini family in 1889. The fifth and last part analyses
the process of tapestry-making, with special emphasis on the
drawing up of models and cartoon. Urban VIII and Francesco
Barberini were particularly attentive to the quality of the design
and of the weaving itself, carried out in the most famous workshops
of Brussels, Paris and Rome. It has thus been possible to
reconstitute the elements of an aspect of the Barberini taste on
the basis of a study of their tapestries.
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