Published
Oct 21, 2015
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The Met opens Fashion and Virtue exhibit

Published
Oct 21, 2015

The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday opened the Fashion and Virtue: Textile Patterns and the Print Revolution, 1520-1620 exhibit at the Robert Lehman Wing.


Embroidered Ensemble with Lace Trimming Cotton Russian, 20th century The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Administration Fund, 1924 (24.101a–d) - The Metropolitan Museum of Art


 
The Femke Speelberg-organized exhibit explores the history of textile patterns and its religious influences dating back to the early 1500s. The exhibit begins with six interlace “knotwork” designs attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and later copied by Albrecht Dürer. These designs led to the international exchange of small booklets containing textile patterns, which, in turn, formed the first fashion publications.
 
The second portion of the exhibit explains the virtuosity of textile work. Speelberg, the Associate Curator in the Department of Drawings and Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, explained that women were drawn to textile work, because they wanted to emulate the practices of the Blessed Virgin Mary who turned to textile work in the latter half of her life.

Finished textile works are on display throughout the exhibit including a French Chasuble, Russian dresses, evening overblouse, lace dresses and other ensembles that used patterns from old textile books. The modern textile examples include Yves Saint Laurent boots and a Ralph Lauren cashmere sweater.
 
Fashion and Virtue: Textile Patterns and the Print Revolution, 1520-1620 will remain through January 10, 2016.

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