Imagine,
Michelangelo was alive when this textile was woven, probably just finishing
“The
Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel. Presenting an amazing circa
1540 Italian
brocaded/voided silk velvet featuring an ogival pattern of branches
with a central
pomegranate motif. The ground is an ivory satin with a floating brocaded
basket weave
design of silver metal thread with raised and outlined areas of deep
green silk velvet. The
heavy areas of green silk velvet about the leaves and flowers have all
been highlighted
around the edges with beige silk velvet. The flowers, pomegranates and
leaves are further
embellished with boucle, a heavy gold metal thread pulled up to form
loops. Mounted on
a stretcher frame that has been wrapped with silk and ready for hanging.
Textiles such as
these were astronomically expensive to weave even in the 16th century
and only the very
wealthy could have afforded them. By the turn of the 17th century raised
metal boucle
work had disappeared into history forever.
History: A similar
textile can be found in Agnolo Bronzino’s portrait of Eleonora
da Toledo in the Galleria degli Uffizi museum in Florence, Italy.
Condition: This
piece does have a couple of areas that have been beautifully conserved
and loss of the ground silver metal thread in areas. This silk velvet
is pieced which is
typical of something this age.
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