Gobelins, Manufacture Nationale des

   A textile factory located in the 13th arrondissement (zone) of Paris, and named after a family of French dyers, the Gobelin enterprise began in the mid-15th century, when Jean and Philibert Gobelin set up a dye works on the outskirts of the city. Their business flourished and, in the early 17th century, King henry IV had the works made into a tapestry factory under Flemish weavers. The Gobelin factory's luxurious products became so famous that in 1662, Jean-Baptiste colbert, then minister of finance to louis XIV, incorporated the establishment as part of the Royal Manufactory of Furniture. The noted painter charles le brun was put in charge, and he commissioned the best artists of the day to submit designs. New artisans were also trained, and magnificent tapestries, upholstery, and furniture were all produced in the baroque style. The Gobelins factory was closed briefly (1694-99) because of royal financial problems, then reopened to produce tapestries exclusively. it has remained in operation ever since, with only a brief interruption during the revolution of 1789. Through the centuries styles changed from baroque to rococo to neoclassical and finally to modern. in 1825 the factory absorbed the Savonnerie carpet works, founded in 1627, and is now officially known as the Manufacture Nationale des Gobelins.