TAP
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TAP
'Twas late e'er the French apply'd themfelves tb Tapiflry : The firft Eftablifhmenr of that Kind, was under Henry IV. in the Year 1607, in the Fauxbmirg, S. Michael, But this fell with the Death of that Prince. Under Zewis XIV. the Manufacture was retriev'd by the Care and Addrels of the great M. Colbert, to whom the Eflablifhment of the Gobe- lins is owing, a Royal Tapiflry Manufacture, which has pro- due' d Works in this Kind, lcarce inferior to the finer! Ung- lijb or Flemifii Tapifiry, either with regard to the Defigns, the Colours, or the Firmnefs. See Goeelin.
The Tapifiry-men dtiiinguiOi two Kinds of Wotk, viz. Tapiflry of the high and Itna Warp ; tho' the Difference is rather in the Manner of working, than in the Work itfelf, which is, in effect, the fame in both ; only the Looms, and confequently the Waips, are differently iituate: Thofe of the low Warp being placed flat, and parallel to the Horizon ; and thofe, on the contrary, of the high Warp, erected per- pendicularly.
The Bnglifi anciently excell'd all the World in their Tapiflry of the high Warp ; and they ftill retain their former Reputation, tho* with fome little Change : Their low Warps are ftill admir'd ; but as for the high ones, they are quite laid afide in our Nation. See Commerce, Woollen Ma- mifa&ttre, &c.
The French have three confiderable Tapijlry Manufactures befides that of the Gobelins ; the firlt at Aitbujfon in Ait- vergne, the iecond at Felletin in the Upper Marche, and the third at "Beauvois : They were all equally eftablifti'd for the high and the low Warp, but have all laid aiide the former, excepting the Gobelins.
There are admirable low Warps in Flanders, generally exceeding thofe of France^ the chief, and altnolf only Fle- mifi Manufactories, are at Srujjels, Antwerp, Oudenard, Life, Tottrnay, Bruges, and Valenciennes.
At "Brtlffels and Antwerp they fucceed both in human Fi- gures, in Animals, and Landskips ; and that both with re- gard to the Defigns and the Workmanftiip. At Oudenard their Landskips and Animals are good, but their human Figures naught. Lijle, and the other Cities nam'd, come behind Oudenard. The French Manufacture of Felletin does tolerably well in Landskips, Atibuffon in Figures, and Beau- vois in both.
The uliial Widths of Tapiflries, ate from two Ells to three Ells and half, t'aris Meafure.
The Manufacture of Tapiflry of each Kind, is too curious to be here pafs'd overj without a fhortDefcription. We /hall give each under its fcparate Article.
Manufatlure of Tapistry of the high Warp.
The Loom whereon tis wrought, is placed perpendicular- ly: It conlifts of four principal Pieces ; two long Planks or Cheeks of Wood, and two thick Rollers or Beams. The Planks are let uprighr, and the Beams acrofs them, one a- top, and t'other at Bottom, a Foot's Diftance from the Ground. They have each their Trunnions, by which they are fufpended on the Planks, and are turn'd with Bats. In each Rollet is a Groove, from one End to t'other, capable of containing a long round Piece of Wood, faften'd therein with Hooks. Its Ufe is to tye the Ends ot the Warp to. The Warp, which is a kind of worried, or twifted Woollen Thread, is wound on the upper Roller ; and the Work, as faft as wove, is wound on the lower.
Within-fide the Planks, which are leven or eight Foot high, fourteen or fifteen Inches broad, and three or four thick, are Holes piere'd, from Top to Bottom, in which are put thick Pieces of Iron, with Hooks at one End, ferving to luftain the Coat-ftave : Thefe Fieces of Iron have alfo Holes pierced ; by nutting a Pin in which, the Stave is drawn nearer, or fet further off; and thus the Coats, or Threads, are ltrerch'd or loofen'd at Pleafure.
The Coat- Have is about three Inches Diameter, and runs all the Length of the Loom : On this are fix'd the Coats, or Threads, which make the Thteads of the Warp crofs each other. It has much the fame Effect here, as the Spring- ftave and Treddles have in the common Looms. The Coats are little Threads faften'd to each Thread of the Warp, with a kind of Aiding Knot, which forms a Sort of Mafh, or Ring. They ferve to keep the Warp open, for the Paf- fage of Broaches wound with Silks, Woollens, or other Matters ufed in the Piece of Tapifiry.
Laftly, there are a Number of little Sticks, of different Lengths, but all about an Inch Diameter, which the Work- man keeps by him in Baskets, to ferve to make the Threads of the Warp crofs each other, by patting them acrofs : And that the Threads thus crofs'd may retain their proper Situation, a Packthread is run among the Threads, above the Stick.
The Loom thus form'd, and mounted with its Warp, the firft Thing the Workman does, is to draw, on the Threads of this W ; arp, the principal Lines and Strokes of the De- fign to be reprefented on the Piece of Tapiflry, which is
done by applying Cartoons made from the Painting he intends to copy, to the Side that is to be the wrong Side o. the Piece ; and then with a Black-lead Pencil following and tra- cing out the Contours thereof on the Thread of the right Side ; fo that the Strokes appear equally both before and be- hind. As to the original Defign the Work is to be finifh'd by, tis hung up behind the Workman, and wound on a long Staff , from wnich a Piece is unroll'd from Time to Time, a? the Work proceeds.
Befides the Loom, &. here defcribed ; there are Three other principal Inftruments required for rhe working, the Silk, or Wooll of the Woof within the Threads of the Warp. Thefe are a Broach, a Reed, and an Iron Needle.
The Broach is of hard Wood, 7 or 8 Inches lono and two Thirds of an Inch thick, ending in a Point with a little Handle. It ferves as a Shuttle, the Silks, Woollens, Gold or Silver to be ufed in the Work, being wound on it. The Reed or Comb is alfo of Wood, Eight or Nine Inches long, and an Inch thick at the Back ; whence it ufually grows lets and lefs, to the Extremity of the Teeth, which are more or lefs apart, according to the greater or lefs Degree of Finenefs of the in- tended Work. Laftly, the Needle is in Form of the common Needle, only bigger and longer. Its Ufe is to prefs clofe the Wooll and Silks, when there is any Line or Colour that does not fit well.
All Things being prepared for the Work ; and the Work- man ready to begin, he places himfelf on the wrong Side the Piece, with his Back towards the Defign; fo that fie works, as it were, blind-fold, feeing nothing of what he does, and being obliged to quit his Poft, and go to the other Side the Loom, whenever he would view and examine the Piece, to correct it with his Preffing Needle.
To put any Silk, lie in the Warp, he firft turns, and looks at his Defign : Then taking a Broach full of the pro- per Colour, he places it among, the Threads of the Warp, which he brings acrofs each other with his Fingers, by means of the Coats or Threads faften'd to the Staff: This he re- peats every rime he is to change his Colour.
The Silk or Wooll being p laced, he beats it with his Reed or Comb ; and when he has thus wrought in feveral Rows over e'.ch other, he goes to fee the Fflicl'fhey have; in order to reform the Contours with his Needle, if there be occa- iion.
As the Work advances, they roll it up on the lower Beam, and unroll as much Warp from the upper Beam, as fijflfiees them to continue the Piece : The like they do o the Defign behind them.
When the Pieces are wide, feveral Workmen may be em- ploy'd at once,
We have but two Things to add : The firft, that this high Warp Tapiflry goes on much more flowly than the mn Warp, and takes almoif double the Time and Trouble. The r econd, that all the Difference rhe Eye can obferve between the two Kinds, confills in this, that in the low Warp there is a red. Filler, about one Twelfth of an Inch broad, running on each Side, from Top to Bottom ; which is wanting in°the high Warp.
Manufatlure of TArrsiRy of the low Warp.
The Loom or Frame wherein the low Warp is wrought) is much like that of the Weavers : The principal P°rts thereof are two ftrong Pieces of Wood forming the Sides of the Loom, and bearing a Beam or Roller at each End : They are fuftain'd at Bottom with other fining Pieces of Wood in Manner of Treftles ; and, to keep them 'the firmer, are like- wife faften'd to the Floor with a kind of Buttreffes, which prevent any fhaking, tho' there are fometimes four or five Workmen ieaning on the fore Beam at once.
The Rollers have each their Trunnions, by which they are fuftain'd : They are turn'd by larre Iron Pins, three Foot long. Along each Beam runs a Groove, wherein is placed the Wich, a Piece of Wood of above two Inches Di •meter, and almoft rhe Length of the Roller : This Piece fills the Groove entirely, and is faften'd therein, from Sp^ce to Space, by wooden Pins. To the two Wiches are faften'd the two Extremities of the Warp, which is wound on the further Roller ; and rhe Work, as it advances, on the nearer.
Acrofs the two Sides, almoft in the Middle of the Loom, pafles a wooden Bar, which fuftains little Pieces of Wood, not unlike the Beam of a Balance : To thefe Pieces are faften'd Strings, which bear certain Spring-ftaves, wherewith the Workman, by means of two Treadles under rhe Loom whereon he lets his Feet, gives a Motion to the Coats, and makes the Threads of rhe' Warp rife and fall alternately. Each Loom has more or fewer of thefe Spring-ftaves, and each Stave more or fewer Coats, as the 'Tapifiry confifts of more or fewer Threads. See Loom.
The Defign or Painting the Tapiflry-man is to follow, is placed underneath the Warp ; where it is fuftain'd from Space to Space with Strings, by which the Defign is brought nearer the Warp,
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