named. Their influence in the domain of fanciful, and at times extravagant realistic, floral patterns was widespread. Soon after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in consequence of which thousands of Protestant weavers left France, factories for weaving silks and mixed materials with patterns imitating the successive French phases became organized at Spitalfields, in Cheshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk and elsewhere England, as well as in Germany at Crefeld, Elberfeld, Barmen and Weissen.
Entirely distinct from what has already been discussed is a branch of artistic weaving concerned with the decoration of linens, that flourished notably in Italy towards the end of the 15th century and in the 16th century. From early times long and narrow Italian tablecloths were enriched with ornament of linen cotton threads of a single colour, and Signora Isabella Erera has written at some length about them,[1] illustrating the result of her investigations with several examples culled from paintings by Pictro Lorenzetto of Siena (1340), by Ghirlandaja (1447–1490), &c. In Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper, now in the Louvre, the border of the tablecloth is very like many examples of this sort of textile in the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington. Their characteristic ornament, in rather heavy blue thread, consists of quaint animals and birds in pairs, which are evident derivations of those so often seen in Italo-Byzantine and Licchese silks and brocades.
Fig. 44.—Ottoman (Anatolian) Silk and Gold Thread Weaving of the 16th century, with ogival framed ornament. The original is stated to have come from a sultana's tomb at Broussa or Constantinople.
Fig. 45.—Italian Silk Damask or Lampas, with purple ground and pattern of late 16th century.
Besides animals and birds, reversed names and words were sometimes introduced, e.g. “Amor” for “Roma,” “Asoizarg” for “Graziosa” and “Eroma” for “Amore,” &c. The simpler of these table-cloth patterns probably date from before the 14th century, whilst the fuller ones were certainly made in considerable quantities in the 15th century. An inventory dated 1842 has an entry of two napkins or cloths woven in cotton with bands of dragons and lions d la Pirugina, which is suggestive that this type of weaving was associated particularly with Perugia. In the 16th century, work of similar style was produced, but it was lighter and flatter in texture and often done with red or yellow silk, and embroidery was sometimes added to the weaving.
Fig. 46.—Italian Silk Damask or Lampas of late 16th century, with pattern of repeated leafy logs.
The most important and probably the best known class of later ornamental linen weaving is that of damask household napery, which, as a reflection of satin damask, was developed in the flax-growing regions of Saxony, Flanders and North France, during the late 15th or early 16th century; it was then rare and acquired for use by wealthy persons only.[2] The style of design in the better of the old linen damasks has some kinship with that of bold 15th- and 16th-century woodcuts of the Flemish or German schools. To some extent these damask figure subjects recall those of the coloured Cologne and Venetian orphreys for copes and apparels for dalmatics. The early history of linen damask is obscure, but a great many of its results are preserved in England. A napkin with the royal shield of Henry VII., the supporters within the garter surmounted by the crown, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum where it is called Flemish. On the other hand it is possibly the work of Flemings in England, since from the time of Edward I. and for a hundred years “a constant stream of emigrants passed from Flanders to England.”[3] The Victoria and Albert Museum contains an early 16th-century tablecloth in damask linen of German or Flemish manufacture with various subjects, chiefly religious and moral: Gideon being shown as a kneeling knight, the fleece of wool on the ground being near him, while from above the dew falls on it; below Gideon is the Virgin Mary and the unicorn, and lower down an angel with seven dogs' heads typifying different virtues as shown in the lettering—fides, spes, charitas, &c. In another which was probably made in England (at Norwich?) by Flemings during the second half of the 16th century, we find St George and the Dragon, the royal arms of Queen Anne Boleyn, the badges of Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth, the crowned Tudor Rose, and repeated portraits of Queen Elizabeth, with the legend below, “God save the Queene.” This specimen is also in the Victoria and Albert Museum. A hundred years later in date is a tablecloth on which is a view of old St Paul's (burnt in 1666), while above and below occurs the wreathed shield of the City of London. A different class of linen, with the design done in blue, was evidently, from the inscriptions on it, the work of a German or Fleming, and probably woven in Germany about 1730. Here we find the wreathed arms of the City of London, a view of “London,” and “George der II. König in Engelland” mounted on horseback. In this specimen the design is repeated, and
- ↑ See the Italian monthly art review, Emporium, vol. xxiii. (1906).
- ↑ The earl of Northumberland (1512) is said to have had but eight linen cloths for his personal use, while his large retinue of servants had but one, which was washed once a month. (See notes by Rev. C. H. Evelyn White on damask linen. Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries, second series, vol. xx. p. 132.)
- ↑ See Rev. C. H. Evelyn White's paper on damask linen, Procceedings of Society of Antiquaries, second series, vol. xx . pp . 130-140.
