Tapestries and waistcoats

Our studio is looking good with the acquisition of a new tapestry piece and the subsequent rehanging that it entailed...

A few weeks ago, we acquired a tapestry from an auction, created by Archie Brennan and woven at the fabulous Dovecot Studios. The piece is called Boboli and was woven in 1964.

The tapestry arrived and it has entailed a rehanging of our studio. I have clambered up a long ladder, armed with hammer and nails, and I hope that you like the result.

Of course, it being the way of things, the entire wall had to be rehung and so now we have some of my performance waistcoats underneath the tapestry. Reading from left to right there is one I made for a soncert of English Song from a 1950's summer dress. Next to that is my favourite one ever made out of corduroy with inserts of Victorian silver thread work as panels and granite buttons, and the last is another summer dress of ballerinas dancing across the fabric with 1930's buttons created for a recital of Italian song.

Back to the tapestry. I have done some research and found that Boboli refers to Medici gardens in Florence. Archie created three (that I can find) pieces called Boboli including this one, Boboli 2. Along the way I found this 18th Century engraving which is the same as the tapestry but one of them is upside down. Perhaps this was the inspiration for the weaving?  I have called the Dovecot and told them where the piece is and asked for any more information and will let you know what comes back from the Studios.

We always like to tell artists and craftspeople where their pieces are. You never know when someone might need to do some research on a maker or borrow a piece like the Maelstrom.