Aubusson

Since arriving in France, one of places I’d been looking forward to exploring was the little town of Aubusson. I have been interested in its rich tapestry heritage for quite a while, and I have a carpet and some chairs made there, or certainly made in the style of. So when we planned our trip to the Auvergne I also planned a side trip to Aubusson.

The outskirts of the town are all modern, but as you enter the centre, and follow the river Dronne, you start to notice the older buildings, which are beautifully preserved.

We arrived just in time to pop into the tourist office before it, and almost everything else, closed for lunch at noon. Luckily we were both a bit peckish, so settled down in a very pretty courtyard restaurant for their plat de jour, or ‘plate of the day’. €19.50 for a starter and main.

Whilst we sat and ate we planned our afternoon.

I wanted to visit the At​elier-Musée des Cartons de Tapisserie, which was just over the ancient stone bridge in the centre of the old town. It’s a tiny house, that looks like once upon a time it might have featured in a fairytale. It certainly conceals a magical secret, attached to the centuries old industry of the town.

The tradition of textile creation in Aubusson dates back to the 15th century, and has been recognised as part of UNESCO's ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’. There were two clearly defined sides to the tapestry industry; the illustrational side, who designed and painted the gorgeous ‘cartons’. They were talented artists who worked for little money in difficult conditions without any recognition for their work, and then the weavers, whose skills with the loom would bring the works to life. The industry suffered difficulties in the twentieth century, when interest for the traditional style of tapestry faded, and the weavers began producing their own designs, or commissioning from known artists. Disagreements erupted between the illustrators and the weavers, and with the addition of reducing interest from buyers the industry began to collapse. Creation of tapestries on an industrial scale in Aubusson ended in the 1980’s, leading to a mass disposal of looms and artworks.

At the delightful At​elier-Musée des Cartons de Tapisserie the owner had the foresight to buy up as many cartons (tapestry artworks) as she could when the businesses started to close down in the 80’s. We met Catherine, who now helps run the business and renovates the many cartons that were saved from being burned. Catherine has a deep knowledge of the history of the industry, and has honed her skills in renovating the cartons.

We spent over an hour chatting with her, and were delighted when she revealed that the cartons were available to buy. We spent a lovely time choosing a small group to buy from, step by step honing in on our favourite. Which was one of the flower illustrations, they also created illustrations from fables, and countryside scenes.

Finally we settled on one of the three on the table. Any ideas which one?