0Museo del Tessuto di Prato
WHIMSY AND REASON. ELEGANCE IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE
Oltre 100 reperti tra tessuti, capi d’abbigliamento femminili e maschili, porcellane, accessori moda, dipinti e incisioni, raccontano i cambiamenti di stile che si susseguono in questo periodo storico, dall’esotismo ai “capricci” compositivi della prima metà del secolo fino alle forme classiche austere dell’ornato neoclassico. L’accostamento dei tessuti alle più diverse tipologie di manufatti e tecniche artistiche permette ai visitatori di avere una visione completa di tutti gli stili che attraversano il secolo – bizarre, chinoiserie, dentelles, revel solo per citare alcuni esempi della produzione tessile settecentesca – venendo così a creare un costante dialogo sia con i capi d’abbigliamento e gli accessori moda, sia con gli altri elementi d’arredo.
La mostra si avvale della determinante e prestigiosa collaborazione del Museo della moda e del costume delle Gallerie degli Uffizi, del Museo Stibbert di Firenze e del Museo Studio del Tessuto della Fondazione Antonio Ratti di Como, nonché di altre prestigiose istituzioni sia pubbliche che private, che hanno permesso la costruzione di un percorso espositivo unico ed inedito su un secolo così ricco e complesso come il Settecento.
Oltre a tessuti delle nostre collezioni, gli straordinari capi d’abbigliamento provenienti dal Museo della moda e del costume delle Gallerie degli Uffizi, i rari esemplari in seta del Museo Studio del Tessuto della Fondazione Antonio Ratti di Como, dialogano con i preziosi gilet e le pregiate porcellane di quello scrigno di tesori che è il Museo Stibbert di Firenze. Arricchiscono il percorso i volumi della Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, le calzature dell’epoca dal Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, i dipinti provenienti dal Museo di Palazzo Pretorio di Prato e dalle gallerie antiquarie fiorentine Galleria Antiquaria Antonio Esposito, Collezione Giovanni Pratesi, Tornabuoni Arte.
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Over 100 exhibits, including textiles, men’s and women’s garments, porcelain, fashion accessories, paintings and etchings, narrate the stylistic changes which unfolded during this historical period, from exoticism and compositional “whimsies,” in the first half of the century, to the austere classical forms of neoclassical decoration. Textiles are juxtaposed with the most diverse types of artefacts and artistic techniques in order to grant visitors a complete overview of styles throughout the century, with examples of eighteenth century textile production such as bizarre, chinoiserie, dentelles and revel, just to name a few, thus creating an ongoing dialogue between garments and fashion accessories, as well as with other furnishing elements.
The exhibition has been made possible thanks to the prestigious collaboration of the Uffizi Gallery’s Costume Gallery, the Stibbert Museum in Florence and the Antonio Ratti Foundation’s Textile Studio Museum in Como, as well as other public and private institutions which have allowed for the organisation of a unique and innovative exhibition exploring the eighteenth century, a rich and complex period.
In addition to the textiles in our collections, the extraordinary garments from the Uffizi Gallery’s Costume Gallery and rare silk specimens from the Antonio Ratti Foundation’s Textile Studio Museum in Como converse with the precious waistcoats and fine porcelain from the treasure trove that is the Stibbert Museum in Florence. Volumes from the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence enrich the exhibition, as well as period footwear from Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, paintings from the Palazzo Pretorio Museum in Prato and from the antique Florentine galleries, Eredi Antonio Esposito – Antique Gallery, the Giovanni Pratesi Collection and Tornabuoni Arte.
The Museo del Tessuto is the largest cultural centre in Italy dedicated to the promotion of historical and contemporary textile production and art. The Museum represents the historical memory and the cultural interface of the Prato district, which has been identified with textile production since the Middle Ages. Today the district boasts over 7,000 companies operating in this sector.
Il Museo del Tessuto di Prato / The Museo del Tessuto in Prato
The Museum was founded in 1975 within the “Tullio Buzzi” Industrial Technical Textile Institute, as the result of an initial donation of approximately 600 historical textile fragments. These were added to examples which had been gathered over the years by the Institute’s professors for students to consult and study. Since then, the collection has seen a significant increase in size thanks to the contribution of the Buzzi Institute Alumni Association and other important civic institutions, such as the Municipality of Prato, Cariprato and the Pratese Industrial Union.
In 1997, the Museum was temporarily housed in the Palazzo Comunale. During this period, the collection of contemporary fabrics was established, which continues to increase with seasonal fashion trends thanks to the relationship with the PratoTrade Association, a selection of fashion textile manufacturing companies. In 2003, the inauguration of the permanent premises took place in the restored spaces of the former Campolmi factory, a precious jewel of industrial archaeology situated within the old city walls.
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