Tapestry with ducks

The tapestry was woven in the Carniolan Institute for Art Weaving (Krainische Kunstwebe Anstalt – KKWA), which operated in Ljubljana between 1898 and 1909. It was among the first weaving workshops of one-off tapestries in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and was founded and financed by the Carniolan Saving Bank. The turn of the twentieth century was a time when hand woven tapestry experienced a great revival in Europe as an art form in its own right. The Ljubljana workshop was originally located on the ground floor of Virant Palace, and a year later it moved to larger, more suitable premises on the third floor of the neighbouring Grubar Palace, both now home of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia. The design from which the KKWA tapestries were woven was the work of recognised artists, such as Bruno Paul, Raoul Frank, Ernst Vollbehr and Otto Ewel. In addition to the influence of Realist landscape painting, the impact of Japanese woodcuts can also be strongly felt. This tapestry was woven to the design of a cartoonist C. Tuark or E. Twark. The motif of swimming ducks has been treated graphically, additionally supported by a fairly modest palette of colours. The tapestry is woven on an upright loom with woollen weft and cotton foundation. It was shown at the second exhibition of the Viennese art society Hagenbund in Ljubljana in 1904.