Panel of velvet

Unknown

second half 15th century · Silk and metal-wrapped thread, pile-on-pile cut, voided and brocaded velvet with metal-wrapped thread loops · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

During the early fifteenth century, European velvet design was largely characterized by the use of voided patterns formed where the pile was absent. In the second half of the century, technical innovations led to the production of increasingly complex velvets in which the richness of design and texture were achieved through the use of different heights of cut pile and of supplementary metal threads. In this example, the broad meandering vine and the stylized foliage are woven in metal-wrapped thread with some details in raised loops to give even greater tactile effect.

Artist

Unknown

Date

second half 15th century

Medium

Silk and metal-wrapped thread, pile-on-pile cut, voided and brocaded velvet with metal-wrapped thread loops

Culture

Italian

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1946