Art History Textiles question?

It served several functions, two that I can think of:

1. Art to decorate with (often with historic significance).

2. To act as insulation (for want of a better word). Those buildings were hard (impossible) to keep warm a tapestry did provide some insulation and made the room a little more comfortable.

Art and insulation on the cold walls.

It was the nearest they could come to Netflix.

Tapestry served many purposes. It's almost like asking "in the late 20th century, what was the purpose of television?" And I'm pretty sure the answer appears in your textbook, or in a good reference book in your library.