The Art of Fashion and Textile Design
Born into a renowned family of artists in Grenada, Spain, Mariano Fortuny made his name in the world of fashion and textiles in Venice, Italy. Fortuny fabrics are still produced today in the original factory founded by Mariano Fortuny over a century ago. Curious and creative even as a small child, Fortuny differentiated himself from his contemporaries in his progressive approach to textile and fashion design. In 1907, Fortuny created the famous Knossos scarf printed on silk taffeta that joined his talent for fabric design with an innate ability as a couturier. The iconic Delphos gown, also designed in 1907, was the first example of Fortuny’s famous pleating that took inspiration from the gowns in Greek mythology. Created by hand stitching rows of small folds together before the fabric was heat set, then removing the stitching, the technique was thoroughly modern, producing a cascade of diaphanous fabric that was fastened by a series of “pulleys” with Venetian beads as counterweights. An example of this ingenious design can be seen in Lot 31 in our upcoming Art & Design sale. This pumpkin silk velvet gown subtly uses Fortuny’s pleating technique along the sides of the bodice and the length of the arms where the silk is partially enclosed in the velvet with delicate silk cords fastened with Venetian glass beads. Lot 33 is another Fortuny creation, this time without pleating but with a fine example of the Fortuny expertise with silver stencil patterning on silk. Both of these vestments are fashioned from beautiful, richly colored velvet for which the Fortuny brand has been known since the company’s inception.
Time & Location
Art & Design
Thursday, November 18 at 11am