Altar Frontal
Second half of 16th century
Medium
Silk and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, 4:1 satin damask weave with supplementary brocading wefts bound by main warps in weft-float faced 1:4 's' interlacing; edged with gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, plain weave with supplementary patterning warps and extended ground weft uncut fringe and silk, gilt-metal-strip and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, stripes of plain weave with supplementary patterning warps and of 2:2 'z' twill weave with extended ground weft, wrapped, knotted uncut fringe; lining: silk, plain weave
Dimensions
100.6 × 124.1 cm (39 5/8 × 88 1/4 in.); Repeat: 56 × 28.2 cm (22 × 11 1/8 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
86774
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...