Encanto Tapestries©, unique, beautiful collectable and archivally stored for over 50 years.
 Léa, Frank and David Poliat, Oakland, California, C.1990
This collection of never-before sold Encanto Tapestries© is a legacy that my parents passed down to me. We continue to process and catalog and then add them to the inventory available for sale in Amazon.
They remain as brilliantly colorful as they day they were created. What are Encanto Tapestries© ?
 Small Encanto Tapestry in floating frame, papyrus backing.
Encanto Tapestries© are made from Spanish virgin wool felt from a palette of over 60 colors. Each tapestry is made up of individual felt pieces, like an inlay or puzzle, and every piece follows the flow of the design. The assembled pieces are then bonded to a thermosetting adhesive backing and the tapestry is complete. Most of the designs are specific to only one of the five size formats., from under one square foot to almost six square feet. Encanto Tapestries© are available:
1. As a finished, ready-to-display tapestry. 2. As a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Tapestry Puzzle Package, which you assemble, then iron onto the adhesive backing. Flip it over and that’s it! Display your Encanto as a banner or framed. If you are a fan of Mid-Century Modern aesthetic (also known as “Sixties art,” think OP Art, Vasarely, Marimekko, Milton Glaser, HBO’s “Madmen” decor) these will complement any interior. They will brighten up any home interior or enhance any interior design work, restaurants, cafés, B&Bs and Airbnbs. Please visit us again to see more Encanto Tapestries as we continue to explore and post the remaining inventory backlog. The story of Encanto Tapestries©
 Medium size Encanto Tapestry, unframed
In 1963, my parents, David and Léa, and I, left New York for Madrid, Spain. We loved it there. David became fascinated with the fine Spanish wool used in making the traditional cloaks “capas.” From 1300 on, wool had become central to the Spanish economy.
David developed Encanto Tapestries©, incorporating the brilliantly colored Spanish wool felt textiles. The designs reflect Spanish themes, as well as flora, fauna and astrological images. The tapestries recall the unique mix of artistic traditions and colors of Spain. Overarching all the designs is the added a twist of Mid-century Modern design. When it came to determining the color palette, that was part of Léa's contribution. She was a charmer, and became also the driving sales force at their own gallery in coastal Marbella, Spain. In the 1960s and 1970s, Encanto Tapestries© were sold at Brentano’s, Neiman-Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, various Spanish art galleries, their own gallery in Marbella, Spain, and other stores and art galleries throughout Europe and the USA. David and Léa stayed on in Madrid until the 1990s, moving to the Bay Area in California, and moving to my hometown, Portland, Oregon, in 2000. They brought with them the remaining Encanto inventory. My parents passed away in the late 2000s, in their nineties. |
How it All Began
 This photo was taken in Barcelona.
However, when we lived in Madrid,
I would encounter the same
bullet-pocked buildings everywhere.
Soon after we had arrived in Spain, David and I went for a walk along the ancient streets of Old Madrid; the walls remained pockmarked by the large caliber bullets fired during Spain's bloody Civil War in the mid-1930s.
My dad's attention was drawn to a little shop selling the traditional capes ("Capas") much favored for centuries in Spain. They are made of Spanish (of course) Merino wool, in vibrant colors, maroon, black, dark blue. My dad fell in love with Spanish wool and felt. The felt used in making Encanto Tapestries© are made from this same virgin Merino wool as well. Sometimes I think that perhaps Dad created Encanto Tapestries© more for the opportunity to play with the material, than to create a new enterprise. About Merino Wool
The Merino is one of the most historically relevant and economically influential breeds of sheep, much prized for its wool. The breed was originated and improved in Extremadura (Span. "outpost"), in southwestern Spain, in the 12th century. Thereafter Spanish wool, and especially Merino wool, was instrumental in the economic development of Spain, which held a monopoly on its trade for centuries. Since the end of the 18th century it was further refined in New Zealand and Australia, giving rise to the modern Merino."
- Thank you, Wikipedia 
A "Sastreria de capas," this one is the most venerable and notable bespoke tailor shops in Madrid, specializing in capes for men, women and children. See https://www.sesena.com/en/casa-sesena/history
Spanish capes, "capas"
|
All rights reserved, Frank Poliat 2018
