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Length of velvet

Italian (Florence)
1450–1500
Object Place: Italy

Medium/Technique Silk velvet voided, cut and uncut, and pile-on-pile, and silk wrapped gold-colored metallic thread, and silk lining
Dimensions 197 x 73.5 cm (77 9/16 x 28 15/16 in.)
Credit Line Julia Knight Fox Fund
Accession Number31.140
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsTextiles

DescriptionLength of voided velvet with pile-on-pile and uncut and cut pile, gold metallic uncut loop pile; brocaded with gold-metallic thread. Design of two undulating, intertwining vines. One vine is formed by gold leaves outlined with red velvet pile, bearing large conventionalized leaf forms woven with red velvet in two heights of pile powdered with gold loops enclosing smaller thistle-like forms in velvet surrounded by gold leaves outlined with velvet piles. The other vine is red velvet pile powdered with loops of gold, bearing cones of thistles woven with red velvet pile, flat, and looped gold weft. Traces of uncut velvet appear in the pile. Pieced.
Provenance1931, sold by Adolph Loewi (dealer; b. 1888 - d. 1977), Venice, to the MFA for $8500. (Accession Date: March 5, 1931)