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2006 Woven gold Metal threads in textile art 30 April – 12 November 2006 daily 2 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. |
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Gold Threads Many different techniques have been developed to integrate the hard, shiny metal into elastic fabrics. One of the oldest is to wind extremely thin strips of gold foil round the textile thread. This method was applied almost universally throughout history. |
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Gilded Leather and Paper In the Orient, strips of gilded leather were often preferred for decorating fabrics, while in China gold-coated paper was also used. The surviving examples include large pieces of fabric woven almost exclusively in gold, and fragments of garments with splendid patterns. |
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Gilt Membrane Apart from strips of gold foil, animal gut coated with gold was also wound round silk or linen threads. This technique reached its pinnacle in Italian silk-weaving of the fourteenth century. The textiles from this period reveal an overwhelming variety of imaginative patterns. |
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Velvets Velvets were among the greatest luxuries. The more gold they contained, the more precious they were. Simple gold-covered threads as well as little gold loops, metal strips and wire were used as decoration, creating a wide range of different lustre effects. |
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Fantasy Threads During the Baroque age the possibilities for using metal threads were almost unlimited. Fantastic combinations of gold and silver threads with metal strips, wire and spirals were created and used in weaving and embroidery. |
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