Panel
Unknown Artist
mid-15th century
Medium
Silk and metal thread
Dimensions
L. 32 1/2 x W. 13 inches (82.6 x 33.0 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Velvets
Culture
Italian, Venice
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1946
Accession Number
46.156.124
Art Historical Context
This exquisite velvet panel, crafted in mid-15th Venice, showcases the city's mastery of luxury textiles during the early Renaissance. Woven from silk and shimmering metal threads, the narrow panel (32½ x 13 inches) features intricate motifs of flowers and leaves,oking the natural splendor of Italy's gardens. As a product of Venice's renowned textile workshops, it exemplifies the opulent velvets prized by Europe's elite for ecclesiastical vestments, furnishings, and noble attire. Venice's strategic position as a Mediterranean trade hub fueled its textile industry, blending Eastern techniques—...