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The colours used in historic tapestries make no attempt at naturalism.
The choice of bold colours is consistent with what they
were trying to achieve in the design. The colours would provide the
contrast and focus for the overall design.
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Although a limited pallet of about eight dye-stuffs has
been used, with various shades and intensity and over-dyeing there is a
good spectrum of colour available for the embroiderers .
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The dyers were certainly masters of their art as they
only employed dyes that were know to be stable. The fastness of the
colours they used is truly remarkable. Those lucky enough to have
inspected the work report that the colours within the threads and on the
back of the Tapestry are still vibrant. The dyers avoided the use of pale
or very dark colours, which are hard to achieve and not particularly
stable.
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The original colour scheme, with blue or green horses and
multi-coloured boats, works really well, so the same colour scheme has
been followed in the Fulford Tapestry. |
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In the subdued lighting conditions encountered in
buildings in medieval times, the colours would not have been fully
appreciated. In the evening light, greens remain visible after reds and
blues have blended into shades of brown.
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