Renaissance Velvets

Silk velvet was first woven in Europe during the second half of the thirteenth century, but it reached a peak of perfection during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The V&A holds one of the finest collections of Renaissance velvets, including a wide selection of fragments, a papal carpet, a sixteenth-century cloak, books and caskets covered in velvet, and numerous ecclesiastical vestments. This unique book introduces these velvets to the general reader, setting them within their historical context, exploring the skills and special equipment needed to produce velvet, and describing the basic weaving techniques. A beautifully illustrated catalogue of fifty pieces, includes detailed weave analyses and diagrams.

Lisa Monnas is an independent textile historian whose main field of research covers European silks of the Middle Ages and of the Renaissance. Her previous publications include Merchants, Princes and Painters: Silk Fabrics in Italian and Northern Paintings 1300–1550 (2009) and she was a contributor to Gothic: Art for England 1400–1547 (V&A, 2003).