The name velvet comes from the Latin “vellus”, due to the characteristic dense pile on the right side of the fabric. Originally produced in the East, its use spread among the wealthier classes of the West in the 13th century. Velvet began to be produced in Italy in the 1500s, a time when a clear distinction was made between fabrics for clothing and...

One of the oldest congregations of shoemakers was founded in Venice in the 13th century. The Statute of the Congregation was reformed in 1268, the year used to calculate the duration of the Art of the Calegheri. The seal of the “Confraternita dei Calegheri” (Cobblers’ Confraternity) has remained a badge for the sector for centuries, which from Veni...

Ceramics have been made in Nove (Vicenza) for three hundred years, and in fact this artistic endeavour owes its success to a favourable conjunction of political, economical and environmental factors. The oldest and most illustrious manufacturers sprang up along the Isacchina canal, a waterway that runs through the historic centre of Nove, and on th...

The technique of stucco, which is used to replace or recall more precious materials, has its origins in antiquity. However, another technique that derived from stucco: scagliola, understood as a mixture of selenite, water, glue and natural pigments, developed its own autonomy of expression from the 17th century, and became widespread in Europe thro...

Frosolone was already a renowned centre of excellence for the production of cutting implements during the time of the Kingdom of Naples. The centre developed when Charles of Bourbon, King of the Two Sicilies, decided to establish an industrial basis in his kingdom, promoting the reorganisation of foundries and armaments. Forced to convert their pro...

Naples has always been a place of strong contrasts, so it is only natural that nativity scenes, the extraordinary “product” of the local artisan production, would become embroiled in this and become the basis on which all these contradictions miraculously converge and are formed. The Neapolitan tradition of nativity scenes can be traced back to the...

The production and decoration of weapons has ancient origins in the Brescia area. As early as 400 BC, the Celtic inhabitants of Val Trompia manufactured weapons, with which they did battle against other populations, including the Raeti and the Cenomani. Following their alliance with Rome, they supplied the empire with many of the swords used in the...

Tanning was one of the earliest human activities. The first evidence of leather being used for clothes, sandals or the creation of objects such as water containers and boats comes from the writings of the Sumerians. The art of tanning was present in antiquity amongst cultures such as the Babylonians, Hittites, Persians, Egyptians, Jews, Shiites, Gr...

The Sicilian Puppet Theatre (Opra) is a characteristic theatre performance where the puppets, animated by “puppeteers”, represent the exploits of the greatest medieval heroes who fought for Christendom against the Saracens. In particular, the most recurrent theme in the Opra was the clash between the paladins of Charlemagne and the Muslim warriors...

Until a few decades ago, only a few examples of sixteenth-century Castelli majolica were known to have survived, mainly attributed to the Pompeii family, whose best well-known ceramic artist was Orazio (ca. 1507-1588/9). His house is also well-known, due to the inscription on the lintel of a window: “Haec domus east Oratii figuli 1562” (“This is th...