In pre-16th century Europe, few people had time and money to dedicate to interior decoration. And, for those few, interior furnishings were still basic: benches, stools, wooden boards on trestles, and soft furnishings like beds, cushions, and wall hangings made of silk and wool. We can loosely group the decorative motifs on furniture, woodwork, tiles and textiles under Romanesque, Gothic, and Heraldic. The Romanesque vocabulary included classical Roman, pagan, and Christian motifs as well as chevron patterns, foliage, people, and beasts. Gothic ornament reflected architectural elements like tracery and lancets along with flora, fauna, and people. Heraldic imagery included the “Tree of Life,” human and animal figures, and armorial bearings.
The materials above use pre-16th century decorative motifs and are in production today.
top: Romanesque
middle: Gothic
bottom: Heraldic
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