The Style of the Tsar (Prato, 9/19/2009-1/10/2010)

Italian and Russian Art and Fashion Between the 14th and 18th Century
Prato, Textile Museum, Sept. 19, 2009 - Jan. 10, 2010

"The exhibition will bring together approximately 150 works of art illustrating the way in which cultural, trade and diplomatic relations developed between Italy and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, especially as a result of the trading of Italian textiles.

The first part of the exhibition focuses on Italian silk production between the late 14th century to early 16th century and uses a combination of textile masterpieces and highly prestigious paintings to illustrate the importance of Italian textiles in the social and cultural context of the age.

The second part of the exhibition uses a series of maps and travel childdiaries written by merchants and ambassadors of the time to outline the territory of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and provide an image of the tsar. At the end of the 15th century the intensification of economic and cultural Italo-Russian relations, generated by the increase in the exportation of silk fabrics to Russia was clearly reflected in the textiles and the fashions of the time. Italian production adapted to Muscovite tastes by increasing the magnificence of the fabrics produced and augmenting the use of gold and silver yarns.

The third section of the exhibition offers a comparison between the fashions of the great courts of Europe and the fashions of the Russian courts from the 16th century up to the reign of Peter the Great in 18th century, when Russian aristocracy most warmly embraced European style. Despite the Italy gradual decline in silk production during the first half of the 18th century, Italian art still remained popular and, thanks to collectors, many important masterpieces reached Russia. Many of these are now incorporated in the collections of Russia’s leading museums.

The exhibition concludes with an opportunity to view Cigoli’s Circumcision altar piece, originally created for the church of San Francesco in Prato and now a part of the collections of The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg."