Extant Textiles - 16th Century


Below you will find the thumbnail images and the relevant basic info of fabric type, place of weaving and current location all directly quoted from the source, which is also listed. Clicking on the image will bring up a larger image. If there is more information available on any image, it will be denoted by this icon:    Clicking on it will bring up a page with further information regarding the textile.

You may also like to read about The Use of Figured Fabrics

In some cases I have two or more scans of the same textile taken from different sources. I decided to list them here anyway.

Please check back regularly as I will be adding more images to this page as I can.

Silk cut pile-on-pile velvet, used by Venetian senators.
Venice, first half of the sixteenth century.
 Musée Historique des Tissus, Lyon.

Velvet: History Techniques Fashions, Fabrizio de Marinis (Ed), Idea Books, New York, 1994
Pile-on-pile velvet
Italy, Venice, late 16th or early 17th century
Acquired in Italy

European Textiles in the Keir Collection 400BC to 1800AD, Monique King and Donald King, Faber and Faber, London, 1990
Altar Frontal (detail), showing violet velvet with flowers in gold.
16th century, Venice.
Collection Cini, Venice.

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Altar Frontal (portion), showing large floral motifs and pomegranates.
Early 16th century, Florence.
Museo Civico, Spoleto.

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Altar frontal (detail), in cut pile on pile velvet with gold brocading and bouclé wefts.
Florence, first decade of the sixteenth century.
Pinacoteca Comunale, Spoleto.

Velvet: History Techniques Fashions, Fabrizio de Marinis (Ed), Idea Books, New York, 1994
Silk cut pile on pile velvet with brocading and bouclé wefts
Venice (?), first half of the sixteenth century.
Civici Musei Veneziani d'Arte e di Storia. Cini Collection, Venice

Velvet: History Techniques Fashions, Fabrizio de Marinis (Ed), Idea Books, New York, 1994
Green Velvet (portion), showing pattern of interlaced chestnut branches on ivory silk ground enriched with silver thread.
Early 16th century, Florence.
 Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Violet Damask (portion), showing pattern of curvilinear foliate lattice enclosing gold-woven, lobed-leaf frame of dragon within laurel wreath.
Early 16th century.
Museo Nazionale, Florence

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Cut and Uncut Velvet Cope (detail).
16th century, Genoa.
Musée Historique des Tissus, Lyon.

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Silk Ciselé velvet
Genoa, second half of the sixteenth century
 Musée Historique des Tissus, Lyon.

Velvet: History Techniques Fashions, Fabrizio de Marinis (Ed), Idea Books, New York, 1994
Cope (detail) showing pattern in gold and pink on grass-green ground.
16th century, Tuscany
Collection Cini, Venice.

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Cut and Uncut Velvet Cope, with changeable reflections of red, violet, and green.
16th century, Venice.
Church of the Frari, Venice.

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Damask (portion), brocaded with colored silks in a pattern of parrots and bunches of flowers in vases and crowns.
16th century.
Museo della Cattedrale, Sam Gimignano.

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Velvet (portion), showing pattern in green pile and loops of metal thread on cream silk ground.
Middle of 16th century, Venice
Museo Civico, Turin.

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Silk cut voided velvet with brocading and bouclé wefts in gold and silver ("riccio sopra riccio" velvet).
Florence, second quarter of the sixteenth century.
Museo Civico di Torino, Turin.

Velvet: History Techniques Fashions, Fabrizio de Marinis (Ed), Idea Books, New York, 1994
Cut patterned velvet with silver ground and different brocaded bouclé effects in gold and silver
Second quarter of sixteenth century
Florence, Museo del Bargello

Moda a Firenze 1540 - 1580, Roberta Orsi Landini and Bruna Niccoli, Edizioni Polistampa, Florence, 2005
Ciselé velvet.
Italy, possibly Florence, second half 16th or early 17th century.
Acquired in Italy.

European Textiles in the Keir Collection 400BC to 1800AD, Monique King and Donald King, Faber and Faber, London, 1990
Ciselé velvet altar-frontal.
Italy, possibly Florence, second half 16th or early 17th century.
Acquired in Italy.

European Textiles in the Keir Collection 400BC to 1800AD, Monique King and Donald King, Faber and Faber, London, 1990
Ciselé velvet with a ground of gold lancé weft,
first half of sixteenth century, Florence,
Museo Nazionale del Bargello.



Moda a Firenze 1540 - 1580, Roberta Orsi Landini and Bruna Niccoli, Edizioni Polistampa, Florence, 2005

Silk lampas cover.
Italy, late 16th or early 17th century.
Acquired in northern Italy.



European Textiles in the Keir Collection 400BC to 1800AD, Monique King and Donald King, Faber and Faber, London, 1990
Lancé satin, 
first half of sixteenth century, Florence
Museo Nazionale del Bargello.

Moda a Firenze 1540 - 1580, Roberta Orsi Landini and Bruna Niccoli, Edizioni Polistampa, Florence, 2005
Velvet, with green cut and uncut pile on cream ground
16th century, Genoa
Museé des Arts Décoratifs, Paris

 A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Altar Frontal (detail), showing vases of flowers
16th century
Museo Civico, Turin

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Polychrome Velvet (portion), on green satin ground
16th century, Venice
Museé des Arts Décoratifs, Paris

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Velluto tagliato a tre corpi, fondo raso [Three-pile cut velvet, satin ground]
Italia, fine XV inizio XVI secolo [Italy, end 15th beginning 16th century]
Lyon, Musée des Tissus 

I Mestieri della moda a Venezia dal XIII al XVIII Secolo. Ala Napoleonica E Museo Correr, Venice. 1988.
Silk ciselé velvet
Italy, ca. 1580-1600.
Musée Historique des Tissus, Lyon.

Velvet: History Techniques Fashions, Fabrizio de Marinis (Ed), Idea Books, New York, 1994
Cut and Uncut Brown Velvet, on yellow ground (portion), showing pattern of small floral motifs arrayed in parallel lines. 
16th century, Genoa
Museo del Castello Sforzesco, Milan

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Cut and uncut velvet (portion), showing plants and animals in red and green on cream ground,
16th century, Genoa
Museo Civico, Turin

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Velvet dalmatic (detail), showing peacocks and flowering branches in cut and uncut pile,
16th century, Florence
Museo della Cattedrale, San Gimignano

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Blue Silk (portion), showing double-knot motifs in gold. 
16th century
Museo Civico, Turin

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Violet Silk (portion), showing motifs alternately in gold and silver 
16th century
Museo Civico, Turin

A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles, Antonio Santangelo, Harry N. Abrams Inc, New York.
Gros lanciato impresso e 'sforbiciato' [Stamped and slashed silk]
Venezia, sec. XVI-XVII [Venice, 16th - 17th century]
Treviso, Museo Bailo

I Mestieri della moda a Venezia dal XIII al XVIII Secolo. Ala Napoleonica E Museo Correr, Venice. 1988.
Velluto riccio a un capo, arabescato [Uncut velvet...]
Venezia ?, sec. XVI [Venice ?, 16th century]
Lyon, Musée des Tissus

I Mestieri della moda a Venezia dal XIII al XVIII Secolo. Ala Napoleonica E Museo Correr, Venice. 1988.
Solid cut stamped velvet
Italy, end of the sixteenth century/beginning of the seventeenth century.
Collection of the Lisio Arte della Seta Foundation, Florence

Velvet: History Techniques Fashions, Fabrizio de Marinis (Ed), Idea Books, New York, 1994
Uncut velvet, 
second half of sixteenth century, Florence
Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio.



 Moda a Firenze 1540 - 1580, Roberta Orsi Landini and Bruna Niccoli, Edizioni Polistampa, Florence, 2005
Silk textile with geometric decoration in brown, violet and straw
Last quarter 16th-first quarter 17th century, Venice
Ecouen, National Museum of the Renaissance

© RMN: http://www.photo.rmn.fr/ 


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© 2001 - 2011 Anabella Wake (Known in the SCA as Bella Lucia da Verona) I hold copyright on all information on these pages, and on all images of clothing/costume that I have made. You are allowed to make one facsimile copy for your own use provided that this notice is included on each page. Please ask permission to copy, disseminate and/or distribute my work - I would like to know when and how you are finding this information of use.