Jacquard N°87

As we open this issue, after all the difficulties and problems linked to the tragic pandemic we have lived through, we are thrilled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio, 1971-2021. This is the starting point for our latest journey through textile time and space, with several new, important articles.

The first examines a number of 17th- and 18th-century commercial letters which have come down to us complete with fabric swatches from the State Archives of Modena. Such documentation – with textile samples providing tangible examples of what was in vogue at the dates of the letters and offering visual cues to deciphering the terminology used in the letters – is both extremely rare and an important tool for scholars of antique fabrics. 

There follows an essay on the precious nucleus of  Sino-Tibetan carpets in the Bonardi-Tucci Collection held by the Museo delle Civiltà of Rome, in which we learn how the collection came to be and much about the technical and stylistic characteristics and the manufacture of these products of the Far East.

Next, a glimpse into the world of fashion accessories with evening bags by Ornella Ottolenghi, to recall the activity of an innovative stylist but more in general, to explore the substrate of high craftsmanship at the base of a complex production system that rewarded creativity and attention to quality and original design.  

A date at the puppet theatre is our chance to meet Ilene Alciati, a creator of marionettes who attends to even the tiniest details of her creatures, before we look in on restoration of a silk shade from the second half of the 1800s: an unforgettable occasion to enjoy moments from the everyday life of a not-so-distant past.

And finally, a few words to remember well-known scholar Maria Teresa Binaghi Olivari, who contributed so greatly to research and discussion on textiles and on embroidery in particular.