Fabric and wealth in Florence in the 14th century: exhibition at the Accademia Gallery, Florence

Yesterday, Dec. 5, the exhibition"Fabric and Wealth in Florence in the Fourteenth Century. Wool, Silk, Painting,",held at the Accademia Gallery in Florence, which will end on March 18, 2018.

The exhibition presents the importance oftextile art in Florence in the 14th century, both economically, in the field of artistic production and in the customs of the society of the time. A time when fashion began to develop, for this reason the quality of wool and later silk in Florentine products reached excellent levels, to such an extent that the elaborate Florentine fabrics were in demand all over the world.
The fabrics even inspired artisans and painters, who transferred the textures of the fabrics to frescoes and paintings.

The exhibition, conceived and curated by director Cecilie Hollberg, proceeds chronologically, starting with the so-called Mediterranean Geometries that harken back to the Muslim world, continuing with Luxury from Asia, Winged Creatures of Chinese influence, and Pictorial Inventions that evoke the designs of fine silks. And again the Forbidden Luxury.

Among the most significant works on display are a woollen dress from the National Museum in Copenhagen made in the mid-14th century for a little girl and recovered by archaeologists in Greenland, the Baptism of Christ by Giovanni Baronzio from the National Gallery in Washington, a Fragment of Fabric with Phoenicians and Vine Leaves from the Textile Museum in Prato, the so-called Pourpoint by Charles de Blois, or a silk and gold bodice from the Musée des Tissus in Lyon, which tradition says was worn by Charles de Châtillon, Count of Blois, himself, when he was killed during the Hundred Years’ War.

Among the paintings are Starnina’sCoronation of the Virgin and Four Angels, the late 13th-century Crucifix, which testifies with the refined decorative motif of the central board to the richness of older Islamic fabrics, and the cope from the Bargello National Museum.

The curator said, “I strongly wanted this exhibition to offer visitors the chance to immerse themselves in the fabrics, precious textiles and sumptuous golden altarpieces that testify to Florence’s great craft and artistic tradition. Works and artifacts that constitute the deepest roots of fashion that still today has in Florence one of the centers of greatest creativity in the world.”

The exhibition is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in collaboration with the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.

For information: www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.beniculturali.it

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 8:15 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. (box office closes at 6:20 p.m.). Closed Mondays, December 25, January 1.

Tickets: Full 12.50 euros, reduced 6.25 euros for E.U. citizens aged 18 to 25 and permanent teachers from the U.E in service at public or peer schools; free reserved for under 18s of any nationality, handicapped persons and one accompanying person, journalists, teachers and students of Architecture, Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Education Sciences, Bachelor of Arts and Philosophy degree with archaeological or historical-artistic degree addresses, Bachelor of Arts degree or corresponding courses in EU member states

Throughout the duration of the Florentine exhibition (until March 18, 2018), the back of the ticket of the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence will feature the special agreement that will allow ticket holders of the exhibition Fabric and Wealth in Florence in the Fourteenth Century. Wool, Silk, Painting to access the Prato Textile Museum and its exhibitions for 4 euros instead of 7.

Image: Pourpoint by Charles de Blois
France, c. 1364
silk and gold, linen and cotton
Lyon, Musée des Tissus

Fabric and wealth in Florence in the 14th century: exhibition at the Accademia Gallery, Florence

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