{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O154026"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O154026/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU9983/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BU9983/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BU9983","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FH8378","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KR7181","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O154026/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O154026","accessionNumber":"1291-1864, 538-1892","objectType":"Woven silk and gold","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"In the late 19th century, this fragment of Italian silk dating to the mid-late 14th century, was mounted on a cardboard backing. The Museum's artist Blanche F. Hunter then extended the textile's design by painting in watercolour an impression of what the pattern repeat would have looked like. This recreation would have been useful for textile designers who came to the Museum to seek inspiration from historic textiles for their own patterns. \r\n\r\nThe textile design incorporates elements of patterns directly lifted from imported Eastern silks, alongside European motifs. Leaping European deer are combined with the Chinese unicorns known as <i>qilins</i> amongst stylised large flowers and leaves. At this time the luxury goods market often imitated Eastern techniques, not only in textiles, but also in ceramics, metalwork and glass, combining them with Christian themes and Classical traditions.","physicalDescription":"Piece of woven silk lampas. Faded pinkish white silk (possibly originally red) and gold thread, with touches of green. The partial design shows leaping deer, large flowers, and fabulous beasts, probably griffins.","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"silk (textile)","id":"AAT243428"},{"text":"metal thread","id":"x30421"},{"text":"cardboard","id":"AAT14224"}],"techniques":[{"text":"weaving","id":"AAT53642"},{"text":"brocading","id":"AAT53648"},{"text":"watercolour drawing","id":"x37878"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Silk in lampas weave brocaded with gilt-metal thread, mounted on handpainted cardboard","categories":[{"text":"Textiles","id":"THES48885"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2008BU9983","2012FH8378","2018KR7181"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"016","id":"THES311331"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"016","id":"THES311331"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"textile","id":"AAT14063"}],[{"text":"Painting","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[],"productionDates":[],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"43.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"35","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"21","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"fragment","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"37","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"fragment","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Historical significance: Example of 14th century Lampas weave silk with fashionable animal motif that can be read from a symbolic/allegoric viewpoint.","historicalContext":"This is almost certainly an Italian silk from the mid-late 14th century. The Italian weavers started out by producing silks that used elements directly lifted from imported Eastern silks, combined with European motifs. From the mid 1320s through to the late 1300s, Italian silks began to feature witty animal designs, as here. The fragment of the full design shows leaping hinds and a mythical beast, possibly a griffin, amongst stylised large flowers and leaves.\r\n\r\nThe fabric is a lampas weave. This is a weave in which a supplementary weft provides the figured pattern. The threads in the supplementary weft float over the surface of the woven base fabric, and are held down by binding warp threads. The example here has a twill ground, with the design picked out in gold threads. It was probably originally red, but is now faded to a very pale salmon pink, almost cream.\r\n\r\nThe subject matter of the fabric and its original red and gold colourway would have made it particularly appropriate for ecclesiastical use. These luxurious lampas silks were also used for fashionable courtly dress. In visual sources such as the early 15th century Devonshire Tapestries (T.202 to 205-1957), courtly figures are depicted lifesize, wearing sumptuous garments with large-scale patterns and motifs. These probably post-date the sample, and are predominantly patterns with floral motifs rather than depictive vignettes. However, the scales of the patterns in relation to their wearers are similar. I have looked through several books of 14th and 15th century dress as portrayed in visual sources, and where richly dressed figures are portrayed, the patterms tend to be almost exclusively foliate/floral. The implication is that figurative designs such as this, with creatures in the design, were not necessarily to be found in secular dress, which is almost always shown as either plain, or bearing patterns based upon leaves, flowers, and the \"pomegranate\" design.\r\n\n- Daniel Milford-Cottam (2007)\n\r\n<i><b>References:</b></i><br>\r\nJ. Hall. <i>Hall's Dictionary Of Subjects & Symbols In Art</i>, (London, revised ed. 1979)\r\n J. Herald. <I>Renaissance Dress In Italy 1400-1500</I> (New Jersey, 1981)\r\nJ. Herald. \"Italian Silks 1500-1900\", chapter 18 of <I>5000 Years Of Textiles</I>, ed. J. Harris. <i>5,000 Years of Textiles</i> (London, 1993)\r\nL. Monnas - \"Italian Silks 1300-1500\", chapter 17 of <I>5000 Years Of Textiles</I>, ed. J. Harris. (London, 1993)\r\nM. Scott. <i>Late Gothic Europe, 1400-1500</i> (New Jersey, 1980)\r\nL. Woolley. <i>Medieval Life and Leisure in the Devonshire Hunting Tapestries</i> (London, 2002)\r\n\r\nComparable textiles illustrated in O. von Falke and cited in Coutts, Evans and Monnas article in <i>The Burlington Magazine</i>, p. 391.","briefDescription":"Silk lampas, ca. 1350 to 1400. Italian. Pinkish-white silk (possibly originally red) brocaded with gold thread. Mounted on a painting to show full pattern","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Howard Coutts, Mark Evans & Lisa Monnas. 'An early Italian textile drawing in the Victoria and Albert Museum', <i>The Burlington Magazine</i>. June 2008, pp. 389-92; Fig. 25."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"hind","id":"x38292"},{"text":"flowers","id":"x30131"},{"text":"leaves","id":"x34654"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["1291-1864","538-1892"],"accessionNumberNum":"1291","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1864,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Woven silk and gold","Painting"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-03","recordCreationDate":"2008-05-02","availableToBook":true}}