17th Century Italian Wool and Silk Floral Tapestry Pillow

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This exceptional antique pillow is fashioned from a 17th-century Italian Florentine wool and silk textile, distinguished by its sophisticated combination … Read more This exceptional antique pillow is fashioned from a 17th-century Italian Florentine wool and silk textile, distinguished by its sophisticated combination of bold geometric structure and stylized botanical ornament. The composition is organized into a series of large curving and angular compartments outlined in warm brown, with each section filled with contrasting colors and individually rendered floral motifs. Stylized blossoms, including carnation-like flowers and rounded radiating blooms, are scattered throughout the design, their stems and leaves extending gracefully across the surrounding fields. The strong geometric framework combined with delicate botanical imagery gives the textile an unusually graphic and highly decorative character associated with historic Italian textile design.

Handwoven in wool and silk, the textile combines the substantial texture and depth of wool with the finer qualities and subtle visual richness of silk. This mixture of fibers allows the larger colored fields to have a strong woven presence while providing greater refinement in the smaller floral details, outlines, stems, and contrasting decorative passages. The textile's long rectangular format preserves a substantial section of the original composition and allows the repeating pattern to unfold naturally across the entire face of the pillow.

The beautifully aged palette includes deep indigo and navy blue, dusty rose, salmon pink, antique gold, mustard yellow, ochre, camel, warm beige, taupe, sage green, muted teal, burgundy, cream, and earthy brown. Dark indigo sections create dramatic contrast against the softer salmon and neutral grounds, while golden-yellow, cream, and rose-colored blossoms bring additional warmth and movement to the composition. The colors have mellowed over centuries, giving the textile the softly muted character and depth associated with early woven textiles. With its combination of rare historic material, wool-and-silk construction, expressive floral imagery, and bold Florentine design, this pillow offers a distinctive decorative presence for a collection of antique textiles or a sophisticated interior. See less