Join us for a free talk with Susan Sherrit, Gallery Manager, and learn about historical and contemporary Tapestry weaving.
Susan will lead a tour on Tapestry which will take you to see the Museum to learn about the Wauters’ horsemanship tapestries from the 17th century, before going next door to the Harley Gallery for a tour of Jennie Moncur’s exhibition of contemporary tapestry, Interrupted Views.
Three huge tapestries by Michiel Wauters are on display in the Museum. These are from a set of eight designs (two more can be seen at Welbeck Abbey, on tours of the State Rooms that will run in August and September) – and it is believed that only six full or partial sets are still in existence. The designs are taken from illustrations by Abraham van Diepenbeke from William Cavendish’s book ‘The method and new way to train horses’. William was an ancestor to the Dukes of Portland, and one of the great horsemen of his day. His book was a pivotal work for the art of horsemanship and led to the modern sport of dressage.
Jennie Moncur is an acclaimed contemporary tapestry weaver. She uses traditional weaving techniques used in the 17th century to create her contemporary works, that combine geometric forms, floral motifs and an intense palette in ‘jigsaw’ compositions – and are both visually and technically astonishing.
We are delighted to announce that Susan will be joined by Jennie Moncur for this talk.
Susan Sherrit
Susan is the Gallery Manager at the Harley Foundation. She trained in tapestry weaving at Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee, before moving to the Midlands where she was a studio weaver before joining the Harley team. She now manages the contemporary Gallery and our award-winning retail.