The Camel

The Camel tapestry, matching the Royal Elephant tapestry, shows a Persian camel in the desert in the colourful livery of nomadic Arabs. Surrounding it are details of local plant and animal life typical of the style of tapestry design known as Oriental. This French tapestry is lined and has a tunnel for ease of hanging. Please note that the above image shows the larger size. The smaller size has a slightly lighter colour for the central tapestry although the border is unchanged.

Tapestries designed in this style were very popular from the 17th to the 19th century in Europe, especially France. By the 1660's tales of the East were beginning to circulate amongst the wealthy in Europe, brought back by Jesuit missionaries from the middle and far East. This created an interest in anything related to the Orient, and artists soon responded. Many of the early depictions of the Orient were not experienced firsthand by artists and were often copied from engravings made by missionaries, such was the demand for Eastern artifacts and art. During the 18th and 19th centuries this interest was maintained due to the fact that the largely non-Christian countries in the East were still sufficiently different in culture, language and customs to seem very exotic to Europeans. Over time this led to the development of a style of tapestry known as Oriental. Always distinctive, they tended to be tobacco colored and featured striking images of exotic creatures and people, set against a vibrant backdrop. Many were complemented with detail of local flora and fauna that was often remarkably accurate.