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Cloth of Gold and Silver: Simone Martini's Techniques for Representing Luxury Textiles

1991; University of Chicago Press; Volume: 30; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/767057

2169-3099

Cathleen Hoeniger,

Historical Art and Architecture Studies

Simone Martini developed two elaborate layering techniques--sgraffito and glazing over metal leaf--to represent contemporary luxury textiles imported from the East. In this article, painted textiles in his Annunciation and St. Louis Altarpiece are compared with surviving late medieval Mongolian and Middle-Eastern silks to demonstrate how closely Simone imitated originals. Attention is drawn to the way Simone transformed traditional painting techniques in order to simulate the patterns and textures of exotic silks more accurately. Simone's interest in luxury textiles is also set within the context of the great value placed on these fabrics by fourteenth-century Italian society, and it is within this societal framework that Simone's representation of textiles in his altarpieces is finally evaluated.