Venice and Fortuny

If you're planning to be in Venice before the 18th of July this year, there is an exhibition on now at the Palazzo Fortuny called La Seta e il Velluto [Silk and Velvet]. There are a number of early 20th century clothing pieces on display including a series of rare Delphos (pleated silk satin dresses) owned by American collectors.

The Palazzo Fortuny is located in the historic centre of Venice near the Rialto bridge at: San Marco 3780, Boat Stop A, S. Angelo, Route 1. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm but is closed on Tuesdays.

Mariano Fortuny was a Spanish artist who became famous in Venice in the early 20th century. Fabrics of his design are still manufactured and sold today, you can see a number of them here.

The Venice showroom is now reopened and you can go for a look (and buy fabric!) Monday to Friday, between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm and then between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm on the Giudecca canal at no. 805.


A great book (if you can find it and afford it) is Fortuny by Anne-Marie Deschodt and Doretta Davanzo Poli. (text in English)

Hand-stamped fabrics

The tradition of hand-stamped fabrics goes back far into Italian history, at least to the 1400s if not farther. Some fabrics were stamped to embroider over and some were made just to be used as-is. Embroidery took a long time to produce therefore it was expensive, hand-stamping brought similar results at a lower cost.

Hand-stamped fabrics were used for table linens, upholstery, household furnishings, animal trappings and even clothing.

Traditionally the stamps were hand-carved into pear wood. Dye colours included rust, indigo blue, green and very rarely gold-yellow and brown.

Artisan hand-stamped fabrics are still produced today in Italy.

This is the corner of a small table cloth I purchased from Bertozzi:


This is a pear wood hand-carved stamp from the first part of the 20th century, part of a collection owned by Arnaldo Caprai.


Many more can be found in the book: In viaggio con Penelope. A catalogue of many embroideries, laces and textile-related articles owned by Arnaldo Caprai.

The area around Gambettola, Italy was especially productive in this art. Watch the video here that shows how the production is carried out, some patterns and also some modern designs.

This company specializes in Renaissance patterns and has some interesting slide-shows with English text.

To learn more of the history of hand-stamped fabrics in the Romagna region, go to Tuttoricamo and under the 'History' heading, you'll find a fascinating article called 'Hand printed fabric'.

There is an online museum of a collection of stamps from all over Europe here. You can visit this museum which is in Via Ugo Foscolo no. 4, Milan, entrance is free. I have not been there but it's on my list of things to do!

Needle lace

I'm back from a glorious weekend immersed in needlework. I have wanted to take a class with Diane Clements for a long time. She does some beautiful needle lace!

As we were toiling away at our less-than-perfect samples I kept thinking about the beautiful laces that I've seen in Italy. My neck and back were aching after only one day - how must those lace makers feel? And in the days of old without ergonomic chairs and good lighting? It really gives you an appreciation for something when you sit in someone else's position.

Last year while in Italy I went to visit a master needle lace maker on the island of Burano, near Venice. Lucia Costantini invited us into her home and showed us her art. Oh, and it was definitely art.

The exquisite beauty of her pieces made the tears run down my cheeks and I couldn't speak. The work! Countless hours of creation, tiny little masterpieces, large colourful laces, scenes, marine life, symbology... I could have stayed there all day.

Lucia shows us how to make a couple of stitches working on her needle lace pillow:


This is a flower brooch made by Lucia:


My stitches will never be this beautiful but it is very nice to have a piece of this art to look at up close and admire!

Here you can watch Lucia go through the Museum of Lace on Burano. Even if you cannot understand the history of lace that she recounts, there are lace makers at work to watch and samples of different laces shown.

More of Lucia Costantini's lace art can be seen on the Tuttoricamo website, look under "Prominent Characters".

A Venetian Lacemaker is a small book about Lucia, Burano and needle lace by Vima deMarchi Micheli who brought Lucia to the U.S. to teach in the 1990s.

Here is the legend of Burano lace. On this page is also a link to the lace museum and how you can visit it.

If you go to Venice, you can catch a boat to Burano but beware! Chinese imitation lace is everywhere and will be cheap. If it's authentic, it will be expensive – though even expensive prices do not begin to cover the time, expertise and talent that goes into this amazing art.

Siena - Palio costumes

Many people flock to Siena, Italy for the Palio horseraces each year. There is one on the 2nd of July and one on the 16th of August. The prize for winning is the Palio itself which is a painted banner. The right to parade the streets with this banner is the most coveted honour in the city. There is great excitement which builds all year long for these events and periodically throughout the streets of this walled city, you can observe boys in medieval-style costumes from the different Contradas parade, playing the drums and throwing flags in the air. Siena is composed of 17 Contradas [districts].


The costumes are very colourful and most have some kind of needlework on them. It is difficult to see this as the boys parade by and you can never stop them in their march so the only option for you is to go to the Contrada Museums. Each Contrada has it's own museum located within its district. They have strange hours and you are well advised to make an appointment to go through but it is worth the effort if you are into clothing or embroidery.


There are several key positions for parading and each position has its own Palio Costume. The alfieri [standard bearers] and the tamburini [drummer boys] are the ones you will notice the most as they are usually the ones in leading positions. The blue outfits seen here are from the Nicchio [Shell] Contrada and are modeled after designs made in 1928 by Umberto Giunti. The fabric is blue silk velvet lined with red silk satin, quilted in rows on the lower body. The tops of the sleeves, neckline, along the sleeve openings and above the hemline are all embroidered with gold thread. The crest is applied and was done in silk shading embroidery with silk threads on silk fabric.

There is a complex set of rules about who can parade when and where but you should be able to see at least one parade on these dates:
December 1
February 12
April 25
May 29
June 2, 23, 29
July 1, 2, 3
August 5, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
September 22
There are many other times that they will parade to mark different events in the city but the dates above are always fixed.

Of course, if you attend one of the two Palio races themselves, then you will see many different styles of costumes as there will be other positions represented and they all parade around the Piazza del Campo in the hours before the race. There are some tens of thousands of people crowded into the square however and you may not be able to see that much, this is why a trip to the Contrada Museums is such a good opportunity.

( photos were taken by Rachel and NOT by her mother. :-D )

Maintenance... and Mantua

Sorry folks, it looks like there has been a lot of activity here today, but it was just me doing some maintenance. I was trying to consolidate and streamline the labels for each post. I'm not happy that there is a limit of how many labels you can list for each post... I had hoped to use the labels as a quick reference on the homepage, and I still will do that but it will be incomplete as sadly sometimes I have talked about too many different things in one post. I will try to make that more comprehensive from now on.

If you happen to be in Italy before the end of June and you are interested in Renaissance tapestries, you really should go to Mantua. Besides the fact that it is a beautiful city, rich in history, art and architecture and where there are far less tourists than in other places; from March 14th to June 27th, 2010 there will be an exhibition of The Gonzaga Tapestries from the Renaissance. From Mantegna to Raphael and Giulio Romano.

A friend in Mantua tells me there are two exhibitions; one at the Palazzo Tè and one at the Ducal Palace. The exhibition at the Ducal Palace is a permanent exhibition but if you're going for the tapestries, you should really go to both!

I had the opportunity to see the Ducal Palace a few years ago, but didn't make it to the Palazzo Tè... well, we went to the bookshop... but the museum was closed for the day. I'll just have to go back with more time to spare!

More information (in Italian) on the exhibition can be found here. If you go to the Art Newspaper's website and click on the heading "The Gonzaga Tapestries" under 'Mantua, Italy/Museo Civico Palazzo Tè', there is some information in English.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Sooner or later I think, if you are interested in needlework, you become interested in fashion, clothing and costume if only for the embroideries that decorate them. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has studied Italian needlework quite extensively and is a great resource for printed material in English on the subject, though you may have to dig around a bit to find it. I have never been to the museum itself though I have talked to those who have: they describe it as utterly amazing. I believe it. If you search Youtube, there are various videos about the museum and it's projects. Some made by visitors, others made by the museum itself.

The museum bookstore has some of the most beautiful publications. I only have a couple of them, but many more are on my wish list. At Home in Renaissance Italy by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim and Flora Dennis is a particularly good one with a section on textiles and clothing which features some excellent colour photographs. In truth there are embroideries and textiles scattered throughout the other sections too. A detailed summary catalogue lists everything they know about the pieces shown. There are also many plates of paintings which depict clothing and therefore show decorative embroidery.

On the museum's website, you can search the collections for Italian pieces. For example, inputting "embroidery Italy" or "lace Italy" results in many pages of results with photos. Clicking on an image that interests you brings up a pop-up window with minimal information like the date, place and maker but also two important links: 'view details' and 'add to order'.

'View details' brings you to a page with all the known information regarding the piece and the option to zoom in closer to look at the photo. Sometimes there are other photos of the same piece with details of the needlework. You can download a .pdf page with all the info contained on the page for future study, or explore related subjects by clicking on links provided on the bottom part of the page. There is a place to click for a summary, more information and even a map to show you where the place of origin is located. From this page you can order a high resolution photo of the image but you can also do that by clicking on 'add to order' from the previous pop-up window. Signing up for an account is free, and you can then download high resolution images to study. There are some limitations on the amount of images you can download per session, and there are some use and licensing restrictions. However, if you just want to study a piece close-up for your own interest, this is a great way to do it for those who cannot get to the museum itself. Images are available for download within 15 minutes of ordering, just refresh your order page in your browser and after a few moments a link will appear and you can download the image.

Best of all: it costs nothing!

Aemilia Ars needle lace from Bologna - Part Two

After stumbling awestruck from viewing the Aemilia Ars needle lace at the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte Museum (see Part One) my two lovely companions took me off to an exhibition of pieces displayed for a limited time by the Association I Merletti di Antonilla Cantelli. This association is composed of past pupils of the maestra Antonilla Cantelli who practice the Aemilia Ars needle lace as it was taught to them in order to keep the art alive. At this exhibition there were pieces made by her pupils but also pieces made by the master herself on loan from her granddaughter. This is actually where I broke down and cried – overwhelmed by the beauty of these laces. I wish I could show you all my pictures but here are just a few of my favourites:

If you ever get the chance to get to Bologna, do not leave the city without experiencing this incredibly beautiful art!

Okay, now for books!

Merletti e Ricami della Aemilia Ars is hard to find but worth the hunt. This is a reprint of the 1929 publication showcasing the masterpieces of the original Aemilia Ars Society. Text in Italian, tonnes of good black and white photos!

L’Aemilia Ars di Antonilla Cantelli – A granddaughter's tribute to the maestra, showcasing her designs and laces. Text in Italian, lots of great photos.

Aemilia Ars, Arts & Crafts a Bologna 1898-1903. Exhibit catalogue full of photos and the history of the original society and more. Text in Italian, difficult to find but well worth it.

Old Italian Lace, Volume One by Elisa Ricci - downloadable in .pdf format from the Online Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and related topics. Lots of black and white pictures and some history too!

If you want to try your hand at this lace there are a few technical manuals out.
For florals there is: Fiori - Quaderni di Aemilia Ars - Nuova S1, 2009. The text is in Italian but the book is packed with step by step clear photos.

For geometric designs, there are a couple to choose from here. These texts are in Italian and English with lots of diagrams. There is also an exhibition catalogue with historical info and pictures.

If you've got the May/June 2009 edition of Piecework, there is a small project there.

To learn more about Aemilia Ars needle lace, visit Tuttoricamo (click on the British flag for the English pages, there are articles under both the "History" and "Techniques" headings. While you're there check out "Prominent Characters": Antonilla Cantelli, Virginia Bonfiglioli and Christine Bishop for even more photos and info. Check out the book reviews to help you make a decision!

Aemilia Ars needle lace from Bologna - Part One

Aemilia Ars needle lace from Bologna - Part One

Aemilia Ars needle lace is one of the most breathtaking laces I've ever seen. Conceived in Bologna, Italy at the end of the 19th century, it is made by building a structure of supports with thread, covering them and filling in the spaces between; working on cardstock and later inserting the lace into the finished artifact. The principal difference between this and other applied needle laces is that it makes use of a system of support stitches which are then cut away enabling the execution of some pretty amazing designs.

In 2007 I went to the Italia Invita Lace and Embroidery Forum in Rimini, Italy and took a three hour workshop on Aemilia Ars needle lace while I was there. Needless to say, this kind of beauty takes time and much practice! I'm not showing you the 'lace' that I made, but I will say that it did ignite my curiosity! Last year I went for the 2009 Forum, this time it was in Parma, and afterwards I went to Bologna in the hopes of seeing some of this lace up close. What I saw left me awestruck and literally brought tears to my eyes.

Two very generous ladies met me at the train station and took me to the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte Museum which has a small but unbelievable collection of pieces. I say the collection is small because when you walk into the room there are (if I remember correctly) only five glass cases with the lace inside. However, to study the individual pieces would require many, many visits as they are all very intricate and the more you look, the more you observe.

There was a very nice attendant who let us take photos but without flash and consequently many of mine did not turn out or are quite grainy (all the more reason to go back!). I'm putting them here just to give you a feel for the pieces though obviously I'd like to get my hands on clearer pictures...

Our nice attendant was replaced by one who was not so crazy about us taking photos so if you go, be prepared to be refused. If you're interested in this lace and you're in Bologna, you could study these pieces everyday and never get tired!

To learn more about Aemilia Ars needle lace, visit Tuttoricamo (click on the British flag for the English pages, there are articles under both the "History" and "Techniques" headings. While you're there check out "Prominent Characters": Antonilla Cantelli, Virginia Bonfiglioli and Christine Bishop for even more photos and info.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about the second half of that day in Bologna and some books on the Art of Aemilia Ars needle lace.

Aemilia Ars needle lace from Bologna - Part Two

Needlework in Florence

If you've got some time and want to see needlework while you're in Florence, you should definitely hit a few museums. There are many to choose from and I will admit that I haven't been into half of them, so I can only tell you about what is in the ones I've seen.At the Duomo [Cathedral] there is the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo which houses the incredible collection of Or Nué (Silk Shaded Goldwork) in the Sala d'Altare [Altar Room]: some 20-odd panels depicting the life of St. John the Baptist. The designs for these absolutely amazing embroideries are attributed to Antonio and Paolo Pollaiolo, and the work is some of the best surviving examples of Florentine Goldwork from the Renaissance. Don't miss other embroideries along the wall opposite to these treasures, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the mastery of skill!


The Galleria di Costumi [Costume Gallery] at the Palazzo Pitti is a great place to see embroidery of all kinds used to ornament different styles of dress down through the ages - and in theatre clothing as well. Don't leave without checking out the funeral clothing that has recently been restored of the Grand Duke Cosimo de'Medici, his wife Eleonora di Toledo and their son Don Garcia.
After many years of being closed for restoration, the Palazzo Davanzati is a needleworker's dream. It houses a small but impressive collection of the finest needle lace and other techniques of laces and embroideries. Many pieces that are pictured in Elisa Ricci's books can actually be seen up close here. One room houses some textile equipment like a spinning wheel and many other tools, on the wall are several samplers of various techniques including one spectacular sampler of Reticello. Don't miss the cabinet in this room (it's quite dark in there) which holds many pull-out panels (remember to look on both sides of every panel!) and drawers containing a myriad of different embroideries and laces. The next room is better lit and is full of needlework including some very intricate pieces of Aemilia Ars needle lace from Bologna. Remember to pull out all the drawers in the cabinets in this room to see everything!


Museums I haven't been to, but want to investigate in Florence are: the Bargello Museum which houses one of the famous Guicciardini trapunto quilts (the other one being in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London) and the Loretta Caponi Museum (on the website look under the smaller heading "Loretta Caponi" and then "La Collezione Loretta Caponi" to start a slide show of pieces).

You can learn more about Aemilia Ars, Reticello and Goldwork (Metal Thread Embroidery) at Tuttoricamo, (click on the British flag for the English version then 'Techniques') - while you're there look under 'Prominent Characters' to learn more about Elisa Ricci and under 'History' for the Guicciardini quilts.

I'd love to hear from you if you've discovered other needlework in Florence - please leave a comment below!