Needlepoint Tapestry - by Samantha Taylor - Trades of Talavera Needlework Rug Kits

Please select photograph to view the Heraldic Borders as > Needlepoint Rugs

Los Oficios de Talavera ( The Trades of Talavera Tapestry )

Composed of eight different needlepoint designs - 43 x 43 inches ( 111 x 111 cm. ) - Copyright 1996 Jan Voich

Needlepoint Tapestry - by Samantha Taylor - Trades of Talavera Rug - is an exclusive Spanish Needlework Tapestries Collection Based on Seventeenth Century Spanish Tiles. Available as Needlepoint Kits or Canvases - Trades is composed of eight different designs - joined together to make rugs of different combinations.

The Trades Tapestry Kits should be acquired together to guarantee a matching dye lot of the fibers. The Finished Needlework may be used as Rugs and Wall Hangings. See the next three pages for Table Covers - Headboards or Bench Covers. The individual tapestries ( central motifs ) are lovely in frames - as pillows or cushions.

 

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Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 days

 

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European Customers may use PayPal above or the following links - to purchase the eight > Tapestry Kits

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If you do not feel comfortable with online purchasing - Email us - and we will process your purchase by phone.

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We spent the last day of 2003 looking for more tiles from this Talavera School - and found not one even similar. Our tiles were painted by a man who is now 88 years old. He would bring them to Madrid - leave them with our gypsy supplier - and we had our pick. This was 30 years ago now.

We were disappointed with the selection available today - the paintings are careless and stylized. The artists show no pride. We are still searching for better quality to translate into needlework tapestries - and will now move on to other Spanish provinces.

 

History of Majolica Ceramics

The tiles used to create this needlepoint tapestry - inspire us to write a brief history of majolica - which begins in Spain - year 711 when the expanding Moorish empire first set foot on the Iberian Peninsula.

Moors from North Africa crossed the Straits of Gibraltar - and then - settled in the area of southern Spain - which they called Al-Andalus - now named - Andalusia.

This dominant Moorish presence in Spain - created a splendor and cultural refinement - rivaling the court of Baghdad. Muslim Spain continued until the years 1400.

This incredible Muslim empire within Spain - became an exciting meeting place for scholars - artists and scientists. The Cultural Center of the World - - it was during this cultural and artistic explosion that Hispano-Moresque potters first began producing tin-glazed earthenware. The ceramics from this period is called lusterware and is the forerunner of majolica - as we know it today.

The Needlepoint Tapestry - seen above - is an excellent example of the colors used in this exquisite pottery.

During the thirteenth Century - Seville was one of the largest European cities exporting Hispano-Moresque lusterware all over the world - from her ports. By the first half of the fifteenth century the Spanish lusterware was the highest valued ceramics in the world. Excellent examples of lusterware dating back to the thirteenth century have been found in England. Today - sadly - most of this is industrialized and rarely made by artisans.

The first ceramic lusterware centers - were in the southern cities - Seville and Malaga. The ceramics produced in Malaga was named - obras de malica or obras de malique - it is VERY probable that the word majolica is a derivation of Malaga and Mallorca combined.

When the Moorish Empire in the Iberian Peninsula began to decline - artisans from southern Spain migrated to Spanish Levant - found on the east coast of Spain. This is when the Ceramics of Manises and Paterna began producing works that easily rivaled that of Andalusia. These towns surrounding Valencia are still producing very beautiful tiles to this day.

 

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Needlepoint Designs by Samantha Taylor and Samantha Taylor are Trade marks of Jan Voich and Associates, SL All Rights Reserved.