The Manufacture des Gobelins dates from the 15th century, created by the Gobelin family of dyers. During the 17th century it was taken over by the Royalty - Louis XIV. All kinds of tapestry and furniture for Versailles and other royal palaces were manufactured here under the supervision of Charles Le Brun, the major Royal painter at that time.
The Revolution stopped the manufacturing for a while, but it was resumed during the 19th century and the Manufacture is still in operation, run by the State.
Many old buildings remain, but the one which fronts the Avenue des Gobelins dates from 1912, replacing an older one which burnt down in 1871. This is where tapestries are displayed and which you can easily visit. It’s also possible to visit the old 17th century buildings … and the new added ones. Maybe one day I will do so and make another post.
Referring to previous posts about Square René-Le-Gall and about Lézarts de Bièvre, we can here again see the placement of the Manufacture and the river La Bièvre.
The day I made my visit, there was a temporary exposition of tapestries, normally presented in Spanish museums.
As said, the Manufacture is still in operation. There is a clear difference between the 16th century tapestries (with a close look, as the top picture) and the ones produced today – an example exposed is a Miró from the 60’s.
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