The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A horizontally long woven cloth strip features thick, deep red silk threads creating a solid background for fine off-white patterns. Repeating vessel-like shapes with floral tops alternate with diagonal bands and small inward-facing birds to form a rhythmic horizontal zigzag across the center. Rowed, crown-like motifs frame the upper and lower edges. The fabric shows a visible woven texture, with frayed short edges at the left and right.

Embroidered Strip

1500s

Italy

embroidery; silk on linen
Overall: 7.6 x 35.6 cm (3 x 14 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1929.838
Location: Not on view
  • Currie, Elizabeth. Street Style: Art and Dress in the Time of Caravaggio. London: Reaktion Books, 2025. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 76-78, fig. 48
  • {{cite web|title=Embroidered Strip|url=false|author=|year=1500s|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1929.838