Aubusson & tapestry
Aubusson and tapestry conservation.
Flatwoven Aubussons and tapestries are built very differently from pile rugs, and they fail differently too. Their care calls for the patience and the techniques of textile conservation rather than those of rug cleaning.
Why flatweaves need special care.
Construction
An Aubusson carpet or a tapestry is woven without knots. The design is formed by colored wefts packed tightly over the warps, often with many small slits where one color meets another. There is no pile to absorb wear, so the weave itself carries every footstep, every fold and, on a hanging, the full weight of the piece.
Over time this produces characteristic problems: slits that open along color changes, weakened wefts in pale silks and wools, losses along the edges and at the top of hangings, and distortion where a piece has been hung without adequate support. Light damage is common, since tapestries and Aubussons were often displayed for generations in bright rooms.
These are also pieces where earlier repairs can do harm, patches glued behind losses, heavy linings, stitching that pulls against the original weave. Part of our work is often to undo that history carefully.
Open slits
Along color changes in the weave.
Weakened wefts
Especially in pale silks and wools.
Light damage
Faded, brittle areas from long display.
Historic repairs
Glued patches and heavy linings that strain the piece.
How we conserve them.
Treatment
Every piece begins with a full condition survey and a written treatment proposal. Where a piece is large or fragile, we assess it in place before deciding whether it should travel.
Surface soil is removed by controlled low-suction vacuuming through a protective screen. Where wet cleaning is appropriate and the dyes are stable, it is carried out flat, on a support, with careful control of water and drying. Where it is not, we clean by other means.
Weakened areas are stabilized by hand, stitching them onto dyed support fabrics with fine conservation threads so that the original weave is held rather than replaced. Slits are closed. Where losses would be distracting, they can be rewoven in matched, hand-dyed yarns, but always reversibly and always recorded.
Display and care advice.
Display
Tapestries and Aubussons are most at risk from light, dust and uneven support. We advise on placement, lighting levels, rotation and routine surface cleaning, and can provide a written care plan with the finished treatment record.
Frequently asked.
Questions
- Can an Aubusson carpet be washed?
- Sometimes. It depends on the fibers, the dyes and the condition of the weave. We test every color and assess the structure before recommending any wet cleaning.
- Do you assess tapestries in place?
- Yes. Large or fragile hangings are assessed where they hang, and we advise whether treatment can be carried out on site or requires a planned move.
- Are your repairs reversible?
- Yes. Stabilization and reweaving are carried out with methods and materials that can be removed by a future conservator without harming the original.
Related reading
Antique rug restoration steps, from intake to return
What actually happens between the day a rug leaves your floor and the day it comes back: seven stages, in the order a conservator works them.
Searching for rug repair near me? What to ask before you hand it over
Not every shop that says rug repair does the work in house. Six questions that separate a conservator's studio from a drop-off counter.
Inquiry
Arrange an assessment.
Send photographs and tell us whether the piece hangs or lies flat, and whether it can travel.