GENOESE COLOURED VELVETS

having the usual Eastern ogival constructive lines, enclosing adecorative and symmetrical treatment of the lily and iris, with thatdelicate superimposed patterning which is so marked a feature ofthe Persian fabrics. (See plate 31.)

Owing to the commercial intercourse that took place in the 16thand 17th centuries between Venice and the East, the Venetianfabric designs correspond very much, both in materials and pattern-ing, with those of Persia and Syria, and it is this Persian flavourthat differentiates the products of the Venetian looms from those ofFlorence, Genoa, and Milan. On the other hand, fig. 35, a finered velvet brocade, though the design is Italian, is undoubtedly of17th-century Turkish weaving. It is woven in silk and cotton, andwas possibly manufactured for theWestern market.

Genoa was especially distinguishedfor its coloured velvets. The richness ofthe material, the excellence of weaving,and the beautiful and wide range ofcolours, made the Genoese velvetsfamous throughout Europe during the16th and 17th centuries.

On plate 45 are the representativeexamples of these velvets, which wereused not only for costume, but alsofor hangings and the covering offurniture.

One (No. 1) has the bold symmetri-cal artichoke, with subsidiary stems,bearing leaves and fruits, which stillretain traces of their Eastern origin.

A beautiful series of rich brocatelles, usually having a red silkwarp and yellow weft, and interwoven with silver threads, wereproduced chiefly at Venice during the 16th century, and were usedfor vestments and hangings, and for ladies’ dresses. On plate 46are two representative examples showing the distinctive ogivalpatterns, having an Arabian type of foliage that is invariably usedon this class of fabric.

In the latter part of the 15th and the early 16th century thevase made its appearance as an element in Italian textile design.

It first appeared in a modest way, but it gradually assumed adegree of importance not commensurate with its value or appro-priateness as an element of patterning. The concentric lines of thevase and the necessity for some degree of perspective to interpret its

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Fig. 35. —Red Velvet woven in Silkand Cotton. Turkish.