Arthur Boyd, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre (tapestry workshop), St Francis when young turning aside 1972, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1975, Arthur Boyd’s work reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust.
Raw fibre: Waverley Mills, Lutruwita/Tasmania 2026, National Gallery of Australia Photo: Nathalia Barragan-Quintero
Arthur Boyd: Tapestries
Originally conceived as pastel drawings and later transformed into monumental woven tapestries, Boyd's works use colour, texture and wool to tell one of the most enduring stories in Australian art.
The Waverley Mills collection draws inspiration from those same works, translating their richness and emotional depth into contemporary textiles designed for everyday use.
The Throw
Some works are made to be looked at. This one is made to be lived with. A bold play of bright red, burgundy, burnt orange, honey gold, summer gold and cornflower blue, drawn from the palette of the original works and distilled into something made for everyday life.
Dyed cones of yarn: Waverley Mills, Lutruwita/Tasmania 2026, National Gallery of Australia Photo: Nathalia Barragan-Quintero
Woven colour palette for St Frances when young turning aside c1972, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Portalegra, Portugal, 2025. Courtesy the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre.
Arthur Boyd, Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre (tapestry workshop), Lurdes Serra (weaving drawer), The Wolf of Gubbio with St Francis in a bent tree, 1974, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1975, Arthur Boyd's works reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust
Scarves on the loom: Waverley Mills.
The Scarf
A monumental work, carried close. This scarf translates the colour and emotional energy of Arthur Boyd's tapestries into bright red, burgundy, honey gold and cornflower blue — drawn from the original palette and made to be worn, every day.
The Pet Blanket
The finer things shouldn't just be reserved for ourselves. Arthur Boyd's monumental tapestries interpreted into a collector's piece for the most cherished member of the household.
"Australian Wool sits at the heart of both stories."
— FRAN MAIALE, CEO WAVERLEY MILLS
"What drew us to Arthur Boyd's tapestry series was not only the artwork itself, but the role wool played in bringing those works to life. Australian wool sits at the heart of both stories. It was the medium that transformed Boyd's vision into tapestry, and it remains the fibre we work with every day at Waverley Mills. This collection celebrates that enduring connection between Australian art, Australian wool and Australian manufacturing."