Antique Wall Tapestries Are Back. Here’s Where to Buy.

Picture a tapestry hanging on a wall and the setting is likely a rambling manor house. Lately, however, ornate European examples have been appearing in less expected places, including contemporary Manhattan apartments. “Just as they did in castles in Belgium in the 15th century, tapestries provide an enormous amount of visual impact, warmth and artistry,” says the New York-based interior designer Billy Cotton, 42, who recently installed one as a stand-in for a headboard in an eclectic apartment on the Upper East Side. “They bring something unique that art or wallpaper just doesn’t.”

European tapestry, as an art form, dates back at least as far as the Middle Ages, when intricate, outsize weavings depicting everything from wildlife scenes to biblical stories were woven by hand on looms using wool, silk and even gold and silver thread. During their first surge in desirability, between the 15th and 18th centuries, they were found exclusively in the grand abodes of royals and aristocrats — not only because of their prohibitive prices but because of the vast wall space required. Thick and dense, they also acted as insulation, making them ideal for drafty castles. (Henry VIII was a fan.)

According to Jim Ffrench, 60, a director at the gallery Beauvais Carpets in Manhattan, antique wall hangings remained as expensive as important oil paintings and other fine art until around the time of the Great Depression, when they fell out of fashion and lost value. “The concept of them being a decorative or secondary art form is very much a mid-20th-century conceit,” he says. “But the upside is that, today, even the best tapestries in the world are still cheaper than a Basquiat.” While that’s a high bar — and figurative woven scenes are relatively rare and priced accordingly — simple verdure tapestries, which depict lush landscape scenes, and fragments of larger pieces can often be found for less than $1,000.

“The palette and scale of tapestries can lend a room a beautiful openness because, oftentimes, they have an interesting sense of depth in their compositions,” says Adam Charlap Hyman, 34, a co-founder of the New York- and Los Angeles-based architecture and design firm Charlap Hyman & Herrero. In the living room of his New York City apartment, an early 18th-century verdure tapestry — inherited from his grandmother and made in Aubusson, a French town famed for its weaving — takes up almost an entire wall, framing a curved 1970s sofa by the German designer Klaus Uredat.

The Manhattan-based architect and designer Giancarlo Valle, 42, often incorporates tapestries with nature scenes into his projects because, he says, “they’re like lenses into another world.” Recently he hung a 14-foot-high 17th-century Flemish piece above a midcentury chest of drawers in a client’s otherwise minimalist New York apartment. The piece, which he acquired from an estate, is part of a four-panel set, other panels of which hang in the palatial English manor houses Holkham Hall in Norfolk and Mamhead in Devonshire. “I think their rise in popularity fits in with the larger trends we’re seeing in the art world now for figurative paintings, real life scenes and historical-looking works,” he says, adding that “tapestries are great for rooms that need a big storytelling element or have a very large wall.”

But Simona Blau, 61, the owner of Vojtech Blau, the New York tapestry dealer founded by her father over 50 years ago, says that “you don’t need incredibly high ceilings to have [a tapestry] in your home.” She points out that a large piece can make an even bigger impact in a small space. And installing one, she says, doesn’t have to be complicated. Her technique, a method also employed by some museums: “Velcro! It’s an amazing material.” Below, a few other tips.

Where to Buy

It’s important to see a textile in person, to experience its scale, texture and color firsthand before purchasing. The best places to do so: the dealers Vojtech Blau, Beauvais Carpets and Doris Leslie Blau, and the auction houses Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Grogan & Co. The Saint-Ouen flea market in Paris is also a favorite source for decorators. If you’re looking for a deal and willing to risk buying a piece online, try liveauctioneers.com.

What Prices to Expect

Quality, condition and subject matter are the key factors in determining value. Museum-quality Renaissance pieces designed by well-known artists and created in top workshops can command six-figure price tags, but such examples are rare. In France, the highest quality tapestries were made in the Gobelins factory in Paris and workshops in the towns of Beauvais and Aubusson. Pieces of Flemish origin, especially those made in the 16th century, are also held in very high esteem. Generally, verdure-style tapestries of any provenance are more affordable.

Another Option

To mimic the look with wallpaper, try the British company Watts 1874’s Tableaux Scéniques collection, which is inspired by antique European pieces and printed on linen, velvet, grass cloth or paper. The companies Dedar, Pierre Frey and Cowtan & Tout also carry tapestry-inspired wallcoverings, which start at around $188 a yard.