The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Silk Velvet with Gold in Pomegranate Pattern
1450–1500
Overall: 118.7 x 60.6 cm (46 3/4 x 23 7/8 in.); Mounted: 130.8 x 71.1 cm (51 1/2 x 28 in.)
Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.596
Location: not on view
Description
Luxurious silk velvets with expensive gold thread were symbols of wealth and power. The finest velvets during the 1400s have two, or even three, heights of lush projecting pile. This fashionably large pomegranate pattern features exorbitant gold-thread loops enriching the lower level and a plain higher level. The curved upper and lower contours suggest this was the back of a sleeveless ecclesiastical vestment known as a chasuble. The striped green and ivory selvage was the equivalent of a label, required by law. It identified the fiber content, its quality, and quantity, which determined the price. Selling prices reflected the costs of the raw materials—gold thread, silk, and dyestuffs. Compensation for artisans was generally minimal.- James Parmelee
- Renaissance Textiles (Textile Rotation) - Gallery 115. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 14, 2012-December 10, 2013).Draped in Splendor: Renaissance Textiles and the Church. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 7, 2003-September 26, 2004).Gallery 214 installation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (April 1994).Venice: Silk and Lace. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-August 11, 1985).2000 Years of Silk Weaving. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 18-April 16, 1944).
- {{cite web|title=Silk Velvet with Gold in Pomegranate Pattern|url=false|author=|year=1450–1500|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1940.596