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/ |
|