The Tapestry of Creation or Girona Tapestry is a Romanesque panel of needlework from the 11th century, housed in the Museum of the Cathedral of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Measuring 3.65 m × 4.70 m (12.0 ft × 15.4 ft) of wool and linen, contemporary scholars are still debating its patronage and intended function in the Church. It is organized in concentric circles surrounded by a border depicting a series of theological scenes related with the Christian creation myth as well as a description of the yearly calendar. The righthand border and bottom third of the fabric is lost, but it is believed that the missing sections held a continuation of the months as well as a space describing the discovery of the True Cross.
Production The "tapestry" is actually a panel of woolen couched needlework laid down on the surface of a terracotta woolen chevron ground fabric. Manuel Castiñeiras is aligned with his peers that the materials and technique categorically disqualify this textile as a tapestry. The surface embroidery contains wool and linen threads of red, green, yellow, white, blue, and earth tones which are outlined in black to replicate the mural paintings of the period.
The exact date, patronage, and workshop producing the Creation Tapestry is unknown, however it is widely agreed that the work can be accredited to the late 11th or early 12th century in or near Catalonia. Enrique C. Gerbal, perhaps the first modern scholar to publish studies of the Creation Tapestry, points out in his work that comparable artifacts from this region and time may have been destroyed due to the political unrest in Girona through the ages which contributes to the difficulty in dating the textile. Pere de Palol and Castiñeiras both compare the work to the Bayeux Tapestry, the oldest surviving "tapestry" of this scale thought to be made shortly after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Both textiles have clear Romanesque influences in both the Latin tituli and the forms of the imagery; however the Creation Tapestry has a sort of horror vacui as pointed out by Santina M. Levey, unlike the uniform background of the Bayeux Tapestry which is solid in color and contrasts the forms. Levey notes the similarity of the Girona Tapestry's style of embroidery in textiles from 14th century Scandinavia; however Hansueli Etter argues that the geometry in its design and maximalist use of pattern and detail could be the result of cross cultural Islamic influences from the Ottoman Empire. Castiñeiras further connects the stiff warp with Islamic Carpets made on vertical looms in what is now the Middle East. Konya carpets were most notably in high production in Anatolia during the 11th century depicting similar themes from the Quran, and it is possible that the method of production and subject matter of the Creation Tapestry was a Christian adaptation of these rugs. Altogether the cultural influence of Muslim Spanish textiles on composition and production combining with Romanesque style and Christian subject matter is a leading argument for the tapestry's alleged production in Catalonia during the 11th century.
A final argument for the tapestry's date and location for production comes from Palol and is echoed by Castiñieras. Both argue that the designs for the four winds occupying each corner of the tapestry can be found in the Beatus of Turin, a manuscript created in the Cathedral of Girona in the early 12th century. The page otherwise features a Mappa mundi copied from the Girona Beatus. The two scholars argue that the addition of the wind figures is evidence of the tapestry's creation before the Beatus of Turin. The Girona Tapestry also would have to have been in Girona by the time of the manuscript's illumination for it to be used as reference for the figures.
Restoration
The border is formed by a frame, rather deteriorated, containing small square pictures which, according to some scholars, could have been added later to the central sector, due to their different, Byzantine-like style and themes. Currently the fabric measures 3.65 m × 4.70 m (12.0 ft × 15.4 ft) but Carmen Masdeu and Luz Morata are accredited the contemporary belief that it was actually a square measuring 4.8m at its production. There have been multiple attempts at reassembly of the tapestry as more scraps of it have been unearthed. It went under restoration in 1880 for four years, and again in 1900 for another ten. It was revisited in 1952 and in 1975, by which time the square for the month of April was reimagined and constructed. Scholars seem to disagree about the contents of the missing third of the fabric as well. There is a general consensus that the space below the creation circle told the story of Discovering the Holy Cross, the remaining months of the year along the border, as well as the other sacred rivers on each of the corners. There was a theory that the Holy Cross was a late contribution to the overall piece, possibly from another wall hanging, because the design of the segment appears to be inconsistent with the rest of the tapestry. Castiñeiras, Palol, and Etter all refute this theory, citing the consistency of weave and perfect square design calculated by Masdeu and Morata.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
