This stunning pair of gloves made between sometime 1630 and 1650 has cuffs embroidered with silver-gilt yarn and coloured silk and edged with bobbin lace in silver gilt and sequins. Their decoration includes flowers, cornucopias at the sides of a vase with ears of wheat and doves set amid the branches on the ground pattern. The outlines of the cornucopias and vases are set off by rows of tiny pearls, while the ground, flowers and leaves are decorated with silver-gilt sequins. The fingers of these gloves always appear too long for modern fingers... and they would have been too long for 17th century fingers also. Often they would be padded to create the illusion that the wearer had long, elegant fingers. However, when it comes to size, I have to say it is completely irrelevant when it comes to museums. The small Museo Poldi Pezzoli is one of my favourite places to visit whenever I am in Milan - often followed by champagne risotto lunch at Boeucc.
It makes me want detailed pictures of every flower and pearl! I think I could spend an afternoon just looking at the stitching and wondering about the women who made these. Thank you for showing this to us!
ReplyDelete