French dyers and cloth makers.
In the late 15th century, the brothers Jean (d. 1476) and Philibert Gobelin discovered a scarlet dye and opened a dyeing factory near Paris, which flourished until the late 16th century. In 1601 Henry IV brought in Flemish weavers and they began to produce tapestries. In 1662 Louis XIV reorganized the factory and appointed Charles Le Brun director; it produced tapestry and upholstery furnishings for the royal palaces until 1694. By the 18th century only tapestries were manufactured, under the inspection of Jean-Baptiste Oudry and François Boucher . The factory was closed during the French Revolution but was reopened by Napoleon. Since 1826 it has manufactured carpets and tapestries.