17th-18th century
Complex silk weaves such as this were woven on draw-looms. Their colorful and finely rendered patterns required careful planning to translate designs onto the loom. The end result was a once colorful textile featuring bright orange, blue, and green dyes to color the ogival and floral motifs while a background pattern of diamonds composed of metal wrapped and white silk threads created a shimmering background.
Plain weave cotton textile samples with multi-strand floats
20th centuryCroatianVegetable-dyed banana fiber, plain weave
18th-19th centuryJapaneseWool warp, weft and pile
19th-20th centuryTurkishWool and linen, tapestry woven
5th-6th centuryByzantineSilk
17th-18th centuryTurkishSilk
6th centuryByzantineBrocaded damask silk
17th centuryItalian?Ciselé velvet
16th centuryItalianBook of swatches mounted on paper (56 sheets)
19th-20th centuryJapanese