This pair of tapestry woven hangings in lovely colours, would be suitable for the person who likes the Frida Hansen style but cannot afford the origianal! These may have been one of her student's work.
During the late 1800's an Arts and Crafts Movement became the rage in the world of art as a result of the nationalistic movements occurring throughout Europe. Many artists turned to their country’s traditional historic artistic traditions hoping to promote their particular country’s identity. In Norway, Frida Hansen (1855-1931) brought to life tapestry weaving and is credited with helping revive it. She relied on ancient Norwegian tapestries techniques and methods, where flat vivid fields of color are interwoven, to inspire her artwork and style. Her beautiful hand-spun and hand-dyed wool tapestries are delicate and done in a flat rectilinear style (in which distance, paths, lines, etc. are always parallel to axes at right angles).
Hansen's artwork reflected the changes in the art world occurring during her career—her style evolved from Arts and Crafts to Art Nouveau. Frida's tapestry motifs were based on folklore, biblical stories, and her gardens. She is also credited with keeping weaving thriving in Norway when in 1897 she established a weaving society there and it is possibly during this time that this pair of tapestries were woven. In addition, she influenced the revival of tapestry weaving in Hungary and Germany.
In 1900, her international fame was well established when she won acclaim at an international exhibition in Paris. At that exhibition, Frida sold many of her works to many European museums. Although she died in Norway in 1931, Frida Hansen’s works are still found throughout museums around the world. She is still known as Norway’s best textile artist of all time.
the left hand tapestry wove with a hunter with bow and arrow taking aim at the deer on the right hand tapestry, each with interlocking bands and flowers, in pink, blue green, indigo and soft brown wools, 2 ft 2in x 7 ft 3in ; 66 x 220 cm drop
Very good.
Anniken Thue: "Frida Hansen (1855-1931) Europeeren i norsk vevkunst", Oslo 1973,
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