Piece
Unknown Artist
16th century
Medium
Silk
Dimensions
Overall: 18 3/4 x 7 in. (47.6 x 17.8 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1909
Accession Number
09.50.1630
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silk textile fragment, titled simply *Piece*, hails from 16th-century Italy, a golden age of Renaissance artistry when woven fabrics became symbols of wealth and refinement. Measuring 18 3/4 x 7 inches (47.6 x 17.8 cm), it showcases the era's mastery of silk weaving, a labor-intensive technique using fine looms to create luminous, durable textiles. The delicate leaf motifs, hinted at in its tagging, evoke the Renaissance fascination with nature's intricate designs, often symbolizing growth, renewal, and the harmony of the natural world. Produced by an unknown artist, this piece...