Take you to experience the beauty of Aubusson carpet in 6 minutes

In the 17th century, French artists and weavers invented the art of weaving rugs with a perspective of depth—that is, three-dimensional patterns. This kind of technology has extremely high requirements for the cognition of art, so it only appeared in Europe at that time, and it has not been imitated in large numbers by carpet craftsmen from the East. This is the most famous Aubusson (Aubusson) carpet.

The origin of the Aubusson rug

The origins of Aubusson rugs and tapestries remain shrouded in mystery to this day. Historians speculate that tapestry weaving techniques may have been brought to France by the Saracens from the East with their armies, and they remained in France after their defeat at the Battle of Poitiers in 732. What is even more surprising is that today, after a lapse of 1287, in the small village of Aubusson, a four-hour drive from Paris, close to the Creuse River, traditional hand-made techniques are still used to weave Aubusson carpets!

Aubusson-sur-Creuse

Tapestry Museum in Aubusson

The far-reaching influence of the Italian Renaissance

The evolution of the Aubusson rug is closely tied to the Italian Renaissance, which began in Florence and Sienna, 600 miles east of Tuscany. The Renaissance aroused people's enthusiasm for painting and sculpture, depicting nature in a more realistic way. In 1413, Filippo Brunelleschi demonstrated that using geometric perspective, a technique for painting in three-dimensional space, can make depicted objects appear more three-dimensional. Objects can be drawn closer or further away from the background to create a three-dimensional sense of space. This was a revolutionary development. Before that, painting was only interpreted in two-dimensional space. Then entered the French court 200 years later, the French Emperor Louis XIV appointed the best artists in the world at that time to create Aubusson carpets that truly belonged to France. Before that, replicas of Turkish carpets were widely popular among nobles.

The Aubusson carpet style is widely accepted and circulated all over the world

With the advancement of textile technology today, Aubusson carpet has evolved into a synonym for French carpet style, and its characteristics are quite distinctive and highly recognizable. Generally, the outer frame is decorated with clusters of flowers, etc., and the inner edge of the frame is often surrounded by ellipses, and even repeated arrangements can be seen, and the designs are laid out with patterns such as bouquets, flower petals, fringes, and even musical instruments and buildings. The elements must be complemented by off-white highlights and dark brown shadows to highlight the three-dimensionality of gold-toned objects. Its overall bias towards the royal style, is deeply sought after by lovers who are fascinated by classical French style.

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