- Title
- Textile Fragment
- Date Made
- circa 1475
- Medium
- Silk cut and voided velvet
- Dimensions
- 8 3/4 × 22 1/2 in. (22.23 × 57.15 cm)
- Accession Number
- 55.57.27
- Collecting Area
- Costume and Textiles
- Curatorial Notes
The circulation of goods from the Ottoman Empire to Europe, especially silk fabrics, brought with it designs that served as a source of artistic inspiration. As Europe’s most significant link to the Ottomans, Venice, as well as other Italian cities, created silk velvets in emulation of Turkish textiles that were then exported to Istanbul as diplomatic gifts or for commercial purposes, or were even used for the fabrication of royal ceremonial robes (as preserved at the Topkapı Palace). Some textiles must have remained in Italy for the luxury market (see M.85.237.9). Indeed, Renaissance paintings attest to the popularity of Ottoman-style textiles among the upper classes whether imported or locally produced (see M.81.259.1). This artistic and mercantile interchange clarifies why it is difficult to determine whether this handsome velvet fabric was made in Italy or Turkey.
2024
- Selected Bibliography
- Velvets East and West: From the 14th to the 20th Century. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966.
