AIt is not often that one hears of an ambitious artistic undertaking,
which involves upwards of seventy people, working together for many years.
The making of fifteen large tapestries in County Wexford, which has occupied
stitchers for almost seven years is suggestive of a task suited to medieval
times, when the pace of life was undoubtedly slower. Indeed, the subject
of this great project, which will eventually hang in St Mary's Church
in New Ross, is certainly medieval, as it covers the period around the
first arrival of the Normans into Ireland in 1169.
The Norman landings in Wexford, along with the founding of the port of
New Ross and the various stories attached to s™uch important historical
figures as Diarmuid Mac Murrough, Strongbow and William Marshal are all
subjects of individual tapestries. Others will depict the Celtic lords
and their druids before the arrival of the Normans and illustrate events
such as hunting scenes in the forest of Ros (Fig 9). Some of the achievements
of the Normans have also become subjects; the building of the walls of
New Ross, the completion of St Mary's Church in 1210 and the creation
of the lighthouse at Hook Head which has been in operation ever since.
The art of tapestry, whether stitched, woven or embroidered is one whose
reputation has suffered, especially since the Industrial Revolution when
designs were mass-produced, and in Victorian times when the making of
decorative pieces was regarded as a suitably harmless occupation for women!
However, textile arts have made a significant revival both in terms of
individual artwork and as larger community projects. For instance, the
Ferns Tapestry, also in Co Wexford, was recently completed as a community
project and is a work that celebrates the heritage of that historic town.
The Ros Tapestry, began in 1998 is now well advanced, with three tapestries
complete (Figs 3 & 9; see also Fig 3 page 100), six in progress and
the remainder in different stages of preparation. It is arguably the largest
tapestry of its kind in Europe. This ambitious project originated when
local clergyman, the Venerable Paul Mooney, was looking for a cultural
and community focus for his church, St Mary's and for the town of New
Ross.
New Ross, possibly Co Wexford's most unspoilt historic town, with its
many fine old buildings and a remarkable legacy of beautiful shop fronts,
has in the past suffered from an image of industrial decline and unemployment.
Now the river Barrow is once again bustling with shipping activity and
is of course, also home to the gracious replica sailing ship, the Dunbrody.
The forgotten importance of New Ross along with its Norman origins became
the theme for this tapestry project that is led by a committee, and is
guided by Alexis Bernstorff, a textile restorer, and her artist mother,
Ann Bernstorff (The Countess Bernstorff). The painstaking and time-consuming
needlework is entirely carried out by volunteers who come together in
different venues each week.
Ann Bernstorff undertook the task of preparing the painted cartoons for
each tapestry, every one of which required careful research into the historical
events, customs, dress and folklore of Norman Ireland (Fig 11). Opinions
differ as to the detail of such historical events, especially those so
far back in the 12th century where documentary sources are scarce. But
the well-rehearsed accounts usually contain some or most of the truth,
if often a little over-embellished, and the gaps have to be filled in
from verbal history and songs or by looking at contemporary illuminated
manuscripts or at sculpture on tombs and in churches.
A rare instance of a written record occurs in the Charter of Waterford,
which dates from 1370 and which contains, in all, seventeen images of
kings, majors, bishops and judges connected with the administration in
Ireland between 1213 and 1372. Even today, the fact that names of Norman
origin such as Devereux, Pettit, Codd or Freney are so frequently found
in Wexford after eight centuries, is striking proof of their legacy, not
to mention place names like Monamolin or Camolin which derive from the
French for mill – moulin. Ann Bernstorff's contribution to the whole
project is clearly immense, as she has the task of conceiving the design
and then producing each full-size painting or cartoon to scale, from which
the stitchers will work. Each cartoon is painted in oil on a canvas measuring
182 x 136.92cm. It is a very happy coincidence that Bernstorff's style
as a painter is so well suited to being translated into woollen stitches
on linen. Bernstorff's work predominantly combines figures, animals and
landscape. Her people inhabit a world that is half real, and half fantasy.
The relatively plain backgrounds and spare landscapes with singular trees
and isolated country houses form an ideal backdrop to her somewhat stylised
figures with their highly decorated gowns and dresses. It is a similar
vision, which has been brought into play for the Ros Tapestry. Her style
could be described as primitive or naive, but that would not tell the
whole story. There is a strong influence of the early Renaissance Italian
painters, like Piero della Francesca, who also loved to paint his subject
with horses and dogs. Bernstorff's figures are not as retiring or quiet
as they might seem, but are placed right to the foreground, poised to
step out of the canvas at any moment. There is also a surreal quality
in which her characters escape from the pervasive ugliness of the modern
world into a type of historical fairytale existence.
Bernstorff is renowned for her portrait paintings of individuals and family
groups, usually standing in front of their house which, in many cases,
is a Georgian doll's house type of residence, somewhat in the style of
Mount Ievers in Co Clare, a tall perfectly proportioned 18th-century house
set in a parkland. The Mount Ievers 'dolls house' is a favourite type
and has featured on several occasions, along with other Palladian villas,
complete with symmetrical curtain walls and pavilions. This fabulous world,
inhabited by a range of real and imagined historical characters is the
world of Ros Tapestry; slightly surreal yet convincingly historical. Sheep
and rams also appear in the portraits, occasionally becoming the principal
subject of an individual painting. Ann Bernstorff maintains a flock of
sheep and rams at her home in Berkeley Forest in Co Wexford, where she
has ready access to her sitters!
In the portraits, as already noted, great attention is paid to the costumes
of the sitters. This is not surprising when we learn that Ann preserves
a highly important collection of costumes at her 18th--century house,
where two rooms are given over to its display. The dresses and other costumes,
which are mostly 18th and 19th century in date, are highly patterned and
are clearly a source of inspiration in the artist's work. The Ros Tapestry
has provided great scope for the use of the pattern and of patterned costume,
where botanic and heraldic motifs frequently occur.
To what extent do the tapestries draw on the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry?
Both certainly record and celebrate the arrival of the Normans into new
territories – the invasion of Britain in one and the more gradual
arrival and assimilation of the Normans into Ireland in the other. As
we shall see, the initial 'invasion' of Wexford was at the behest of Diarmuid
MacMurrough who needed new allies. In artistic terms, the tapestries differ
in that the Bayeux is composed of a continuous frieze while the Ros project
is clearly subdivided into fifteen different images. There are also practical
considerations for this, as it is intended that the finished tapestries
will hang like banners from the galleries in St Mary's Church. The relatively
large scale of each tapestry should ensure that each may be easily seen
from the body of the church.
The only other obvious reference to the Bayeux Tapestry is the use of
a unifying top and bottom frieze, which provides anecdotal information,
or vignettes, which further illuminate aspects of the main subject. So
we see incidents from battlefields, symbolic events and domestic details
which cannot be crowded into the main picture, but which shed light on
the period in general. These narrative friezes will reward close study
as some humour and irony has often slipped in. For instance, the friezes
of the first tapestry, The Celts: An Island Fastness (Fig 1) show aspects
of pagan Ireland on top of those of Christian Ireland below. On top we
see Celtic women warriors, cattle grazing on the hills and a Buddha–like
Celtic god, suggesting the ancient Celtic links with Hindu culture. Early
Christian Ireland is represented by the figure of St Brigid, a chalice
and two bishops in debate.
The Lighthouse at Hook Head (Fig 3) showing the lighthouse with its blazing
beacon, is perhaps the design that owes most to the Bayeux Tapestry, in
that the composition is formed by two planes in which the narrative unfolds.
The upper band shows a fleet of ships navigating rough weather while the
main picture depicts the remarkable stone-built lighthouse with a man
unloading firewood for the beacon, along with other figures and animals,
all set in a linear composition. As this was one of the first tapestries
to be completed, it could be suggested that the style and composition
of each new one is evolving, and answering different requirements. For
instance, it is striking that the scale of the principal figures varies
from tapestry to tapestry, although the top and bottom friezes remain
a unifying element.
In the first tapestry that representing the Celts before the arrival of
the Normans (Fig 1) we see the initiation of a Celtic king taking place
in a clearing in a magical oak forest. The strong greens of the summer
trees have a powerful impact and remind us that the oak was regarded as
sacred. The young king is shown naked, wearing only a gold torc and bracelet
to emphasise his purity and status. A bearded druid is administrating
the sacred rite and holds a ceremonial white hazel wand, while, to the
left, the symbolic marriage of the king to a white mare is represented.
Beside the king we see a multicoloured cloak, which only he is permitted
to wear. Though the cartoon for this tapestry is in fact less worked than
a finished painting, it has great vigour that should translate well as
thread. Stitching on The Celts: An Island Fastness has been recently started,
and is underway at the Deeps near Wexford Town.
The Abduction of Dervogilla (Fig 2) the wife of Tiernan O' Rourke of Breffni,
by Diarmuid Mac Murrough, the king of Leinster, is the legendary event
which is said to have ultimately led to the Norman invasion of Ireland.
Diarmuid's action, his subsequent lack of remorse and then flight to England
would lead to his eventual return with the support of a strong force of
Normans – what history books call 'the invasion' of Wexford.
It is suggested by some historians that Dervogilla was not really abducted
or taken against her will, but in fact had a previous attachment to Diarmuid
with whom she eloped, bringing her cattle with her as they ran off to
his stronghold at Ferns. This tapestry, which appropriately enough is
being made in Ferns, shows the couple on horseback, riding from the O'
Rourke stronghold in Dromahair with her irate husband in hot pursuit.
The composition, with its hunting dogs and wagons snakes around a pre-Norman
castle at Ferns, where cattle are being driven into nearby pens.
Arrogant Trespass (Fig 5) which shows the arrival of the Normans on Bannow
Strand is the subject of the third tapestry, which is being worked in
Duncannon Fort. It depicts a lively and colourful scene of men and horses
that are assembled on the sandy beach and seem to be longing for action
after their tedious sea journey. Unlike the Celts who are depicted by
the artist as fighting naked in reference to an ancient system, the Normans
come dressed in chainmail and steel helmets.
Diarmuid Mac Murrough is seen in the centre with a red beard wearing extravagant
check trousers or 'trews' and a green tunic. His smaller Irish horse touches
noses with the horse of the Norman leader, FitzStephan; a suggestion that
the ultimate mingling of the two breeds would produce the Irish draft
horse. It is here that we see Ann Bernstorff's painting at its best where
her strong colours, love of animals and costumed people create a highly
successful composition. The scene has a festive and orderly aspect, provided
by the rows of horses and tents in the background. The Normans adopted
the use of such tents on the Crusades, and they are a familiar feature
of medieval and early Renaissance battle scenes.
The role of William Marshal is given prominence in several tapestries.
In The Flower of Chivalry (Fig 4) various stages of his dramatic life
and career are revealed. William was the second son of a second marriage
of the king's Marshal (a marshal or maréchal was a farrier and
cavalry sergeant). This meant that he had no inheritance and so must prove
himself in the field. Following his training as a knight in France, he
became a very skilled tournament player and went on to win over 400 jousting
competitions. However, a small vignette on the top frieze suggests that
life was not all roses for Marshal, as we see him having his head extracted
from his twisted helmet by a blacksmith following a tournament!
The main image depicts him as a protector of Henry and Richard, the sons
of Henry II, then as a warrior and tournament player on the Crusades,
and lastly, as an elder statesman, becoming Regent of England because
of the extreme youth of Henry III. The Marriage of Isabel de Clare and
William Marshal (Fig 8) is a slightly larger tapestry than the rest, reflecting
the strategic importance of the marriage, which was to bring the Kingdom
of Leinster under Marshal's control, not to mention much land in Wales
and France as well. In the upper part of the tapestry we see the earlier
marriage of Strongbow and Aoífe, with an image of Reginald's Tower
in Waterford behind them.
The friezes illustrate excerpts from the lives of William and Isabel,
hinting at their Viking-Norman origins. On either side of the marriage
picture, six richly-coloured heraldic banners float symmetrically from
tree-like supports. A distant river winds through the background landscape,
showing their respective territories.
William Marshal's stormy crossing to Ireland, his prayers and eventual
safe landing is the subject of Ex Voto Tintern Abbey (Fig 7) the tenth
panel in the series, where we see his storm-tossed ship and vow to build
a new religious foundation, which he did at Tintern in Co Wexford. The
Virgin appears in a vision, holding up a model of the church – the
Cistercian abbey that he was to erect there.
The Thriving Port of Ros (Fig 6) is one of the most exotic and colourful
tapestries. This panel, which is being stitched by volunteers from the
Clonroche area, depicts a group of finely-clad Italian merchants doing
business on the quays at New Ross. In the background we see a collection
of sailing ships and barges, which are tied up close to the medieval timber
bridge.
Various Italian business and banking families are represented; for instance,
a Ricciardi of Lucca, who is dressed in blue and bears the arms of his
native city, and a Frescobaldi in red, coloured robes ornamented with
the Florentine lily. The imports and exports of the thriving port are
laid out in the foreground: wine, spices and building materials were being
imported while wool and horses were exported. A man dressed in green is
shown leaning against his horse for which he is trying to get the best
price.
Gothic Glory: The Building of St Mary's (see Fig 3 page 101) most recently
finished by the group at Bawnmore near New Ross, depicts the building
of the parish church of St Mary's in New Ross. The large 13th-century
church is shown under construction and looks not dissimilar today, in
its semi-roofless state.
The 19th-century church of St Mary's was incorporated into the nave of
this ancient church, and this is where the completed tapestries will hang.
William Marshal again appears, this time holding a scroll, the plans for
the church perhaps, while overshadowed by a larger-than-life ghost of
Diarmuid Mac Murrough. All about we see men felling trees, sawing planks,
carpenters and masons busy with their work.
The Ros Tapestry is a highly ambitious project, not least because the
making of each one is so laborious and time consuming, but also for the
challenge of translating a painted image with all nuances of light and
colour into a textile. One of the greatest challenges for the stitchers
is the learning and relearning of stitching skills, while developing a
comfortable working relationship with the other volunteers. All of the
stitchers found that the absorbing nature of the work and the relaxed
atmosphere highly therapeutic. Under the expert guidance of Alexis Bernstorff,
the tapestries take shape, gradually filling out until the last stitches
are put in place.
Peter Pearson is an artist and an author.
Acknowledgments: I would like to thank Eithne Scallon for assistance in
the preparation of this text.