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Using the threads of different colours made it possible to weave any scene for a tapestry. Although not unlimited, the number of colours was nevertheless more than sufficient to create a convincing reproduction of a painted design. One of the earliest surviving Franco-Flemish tapestries , which dates from 1380, contains 19 different colours. A century later, a tapestry with 40 colours, such as that shown in the picture, was the rule rather the exception, and more than 80 colours would be employed for a very special commission in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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