Piece

Art Historical Context

This delicate silk velvet fragment, titled simply *Piece*, hails from 16th–17th century Italy, a golden era for European textile artistry. Measuring just 8 by 7¼ inches (20.3 x 18.4 cm), it exemplifies the exquisite craftsmanship of anonymous Italian weavers, whose workshops in cities like Venice and Genoa produced luxurious fabrics coveted across Europe. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection—gifted by The United Piece Dye Works in 1936—this small survivor offers a tangible glimpse into Renaissance and early Baroque opulence. Velvet, wov...