Panel
Unknown Artist
mid-15th century
Medium
Silk; linen
Dimensions
38 3/4 x 36 in. (98.5 x 91.5 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
Italian
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1764
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silk and linen woven panel, crafted by an unknown Italian artist in the mid-th century, exemplifies the mastery of textile arts. Measuring nearly 39 by 36 inches, it hails from a period when Italy was a epicenter of luxurious fabric production, particularly in cities like Florence and Lucca, where skilled weavers blended imported silks with local linen for opulent effect. The use of silk—prized for its sheen and durability—elevated such panels to status symbols, often adorning noble homes, churches, or cassoni (wedding chests). Woven textiles like this one were labor-intensive ...