Silk Velvets in the style of Eleonora, Cosimo de' Medici's wife ~ Florence, Italy

In the immense fortress of the Palazzo Pitti, at the far wing of the gallery is a room, with
floor to ceiling length curtains drawn against the sun's light, where here in the arid coolness lay fragments of Eleonora's final costume. Tatters of velvet, metallic thread, some parts of her skirt and bodice all carefully presented. One can barely see the imprints of buttons and alterations of the velvet and the smooth places where the silk pressed against her skin. Fascinating to look upon her favorite gown, the one she wore when she caught malaria at the age of 40 and perished too soon. Cosimo noticed her one day in the court and chose to marry her, they loved one another greatly and started a dynasty of Florentine power and history which resounds to this day.

MET Renaissance essay

Since these silk velvets from Florence, Venice and Lucca were produced by the best textile artisans in the 15th & 16th centuries, they show the versatile and gorgeous colours attainable with botanical inks. Most of what has endured through the ages looks more beautiful with the patina of well-loved apparel.

Fortuny textile sample

Mariano Fortuny ~ Boucher textile sample

Fortuny ~ Sevigne textile sample

MET Fortuny Gold

MET Fortuny Delphos

Fortuny gallery here chosen from the Antonio Ratti Textile Center
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, NYC
He produced his fabulous textiles in the 20th century in Venice, Italy
choosing only the highest quality silk from Japan and pressing metallic ink
patterns over sumptuously beautiful botanical colours.

Fortuny Velvet cochineal & bronze jacket with cerise silk delphos, MET Antonio Ratti Textile Center