Piece
Unknown Artist
1735–40
Medium
Silk and metal thread
Dimensions
13 × 11 in. (33 × 27.9 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
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
36.90.985
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite textile panel, titled *Piece*, hails from Italy around 1735–40, a vibrant era when opulent fabrics adorned homes, churches, and nobility across Europe. Woven from luxurious silk and shimmering metal threads, it measures a compact 13 × 11 inches, suggesting it may have been part of a larger furnishing, vestment, or decorative hanging. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Department of European Sculpture and Decor Arts—thanks to a 1936 gift from The United Piece Dye Works—it exemplifies the craftsmanship of Italy's renowned textile centers. The woven technique masterfully...