Piece
Unknown Artist
16th–17th century
Medium
Silk
Dimensions
L. 4 1/2 x W. 2 1/2 inches (11.4 x 6.4 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Velvets
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of The United Piece Dye Works, 1936
Accession Number
36.90.381
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silk velvet fragment, titled *Piece*, hails from Italy during the opulent 16th–17th centuries, a golden age for European textile arts. Measuring just 4½ x 2½ inches (11.4 x 6.4 cm), it showcases delicate floral motifs, likely woven with intricate cut-pile techniques that create a lush, shimmering texture. Produced in renowned Italian weaving centers like Venice or Genoa such velvets were prized for their richness and durability, symbolizing wealth and sophistication. Velvet weaving in Renaissance and early Baroque Italy involved advanced looms and dyes derived from natural sour...