Gruppo di 4 frammenti in velluto controtagliato Italia, probabilmente Venezia, XV-XVI secolo

Fragments of silk velvet in carmine red, probably originally used for liturgical robes. The largest (52 X 60 cm) decorated with lilies and intertwined leaves; two fragments decorated with the same Ottoman-derived motif with three repeated carnations; and a small fragment (30 X 27 cm) decorated with partial infinite motif of intertwined palmettes within ogival scrolls. The Italian manufacture of these Renaissance textiles is largely influenced by coeval Ottoman textile manufacture. Venice and Istanbul had in fact woven a close commercial relationship that enabled Venetian (but also Florentine) master weavers to rework exquisitely Ottoman decorative motifs that, by virtue of their preciousness, then found a place in princely wardrobes and liturgical vestments.