Prato Textile Museum | Italy

An overview of the museum's ancient textiles

By Museo del Tessuto

Tap to explore

The Museum

The Prato Textile Museum is housed in the restored rooms of an old textile factory—the old "Cimatorìa Campolmi."

Exhibition view, Sala dei Tessuti AntichiMuseo del Tessuto

Collections

The collections include around 7,000 ancient and contemporary fabrics, garments, company samples, tools, and machinery.

Exhibition view, Sala dei Tessuti AntichiMuseo del Tessuto

Ancient Fabrics

The collection of ancient fabrics includes exhibits from Pre-Columbian and Egyptian times through to 20th-century artistic fabrics.

Patterned velvet (1550/1600)Museo del Tessuto

The Bertini Collection

The first group of ancient fabrics was donated to the museum in 1975 by the entrepreneur and collector Loriano Bertini. This collection is still one of the most interesting and precious to date.

Weft-patterned velvet, cut (1475/1525)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1450/1450)Museo del Tessuto

Stole or maniple fragment (1500/1600)Museo del Tessuto

Textile for upholstery (1500/1600)Museo del Tessuto

Pile-on-pile velvet (1500/1550)Museo del Tessuto

Velvet: patterned velvet, cisellè (1550/1575)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1575/1600)Museo del Tessuto

Textile: two-toned damask (1575/1625)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1575/1625)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1576/1626)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1575/1600)Museo del Tessuto

Border for furniture: patterned velvet, cisellè (1575/1600)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1575/1600)Museo del Tessuto

Textile: double taffetas, weft patterned, liserè (1600/1650)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet, cisellè (1600/1625)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1600/1625)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet, cisellè (1600/1650)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet, cisellè (1650/1650)Museo del Tessuto

Textile: weft patterned and brocaded lampas (1700/1725)Museo del Tessuto

Ciselé velvet (1750/1800)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1750/1800)Museo del Tessuto

Patterned velvet (1750/1750)Museo del Tessuto

Ciselé velvet (1750/1800)Museo del Tessuto

Textile: brocaded lampas, liseré (1725/1750)Museo del Tessuto

Credits: Story

Prato Textile Museum Photographic Archive

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Museo del Tessuto

Explore more

Related theme

We Wear Culture

The stories behind what we wear

View theme