17th Century Italian Wool & Silk Floral Tapestry Pillow

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This antique pillow is made from a 17th-century Italian Florentine textile, preserving a fragment of an early decorative weaving tradition … Read more This antique pillow is made from a 17th-century Italian Florentine textile, preserving a fragment of an early decorative weaving tradition in a form that can be appreciated in a contemporary interior. Textiles of this character were originally produced as larger decorative fabrics rather than as pillows, and surviving fragments were later preserved and adapted into decorative objects. Here, the historic textile forms the front of the pillow, while a cotton backing and feather-filled insert give the centuries-old material a practical modern presentation.

The front is worked in wool, with the design created through differently colored woven areas and carefully articulated outlines. What makes this particular fragment especially interesting is the complexity of its composition. Large scrolling forms move across the surface and divide the design into irregular ornamental compartments. These are filled with stylized botanical elements, including clustered blossoms, broad leaves, curling foliage, and small floral forms. Strong teal outlines help define the scrolling structure, while reddish-brown lines articulate stems and individual motifs.

The palette retains an unusually varied range of historic colors, including mustard and antique gold, pale sage green, teal, raspberry pink, faded red, cream, beige, camel, taupe, and dark brown. The combination of pink patterned fields, pale green foliage, golden flowers, and strong teal contours gives the textile a distinctive graphic quality even after centuries of natural aging.

The substantial surface wear also reveals portions of the underlying woven structure, allowing the craftsmanship and construction of the textile to be seen more clearly than on a completely intact piece. This combination of early material, visible handwork, surviving color, and expressive botanical ornament gives the pillow both decorative and historical interest. With its rectangular proportions and feather filling, it can be displayed on a sofa, settee, daybed, or layered with other antique textiles. See less