The value of silk manufacture between Venice and the East
Red, gold and silk, in the contemporary textile work of Ai Weiwei, function as devices of critical ambivalence, capable of reactivating a long genealogy of layered meanings. From this perspective, the objects displayed in the cases bear witness to the wealth of the Serenissima and to the decisive role of the East in shaping Western visual languages. Silk thus emerges as a true language of power, a symbolic repertoire that contemporary practice can reactivate and critically reinterpret.
First display case: Venice
In the first display case, the vibrancy of crimson velvets and the brilliance of golden threads immediately assert their visual force. Of particular note is the 15th-century “ferronnerie” velvet chalice veil, known as zetanino avvellutato, intended for aristocratic elites, Senators and Procurators of Saint Mark, as a status symbol. The term “zetanino” refers to the Chinese city of Zayton, already revealing, in its very name, the depth of exchanges between East and West. Fragments of damasks, lampas fabrics, and ciselé velvets attest to the high technical diversity of Venetian manufacture, while a brocatelle in linen, silk and gold, decorated with vases and vegetal motifs, reflects 16th-century ornamental taste and the reception of models of Eastern origin. Venetian silk thus emerges not only as a luxury good, but as a visual language capable of expressing the cosmopolitan dimension of the Serenissima and its enduring dialogue with the Levant.
Second display case: China and Chinoiserie
The second display case illustrates the spread in the West of Eastern symbolic repertoires, such as the dragon, lotus, and phoenix, gradually integrated into decorative systems until they became true fashion phenomena. Renowned since antiquity for their quality and variety of motifs, Eastern silks fuelled a renewed interest captivating the refined society of the 18th century. A brocaded lampas with pagodas and stylized floral motifs testifies to the emergence of chinoiserie, a fanciful and “capricious” language that flourished in the Rococo. Peach-pink tones, favored by the taste of Madame de Pompadour, reflect both refined style and advances in dyeing techniques, in dialogue with the chromatic palette of Qing dynasty porcelains.
Also between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, documents such as the Chinese polychrome embroidered silk satin or the series of luminous European lampas, demonstrate the enduring strength of Eastern decorative language, which, between folklore and symbolism, sustains an ongoing dialogue between East and West. This dialogue extends into the present day and is now reinterpreted in the masterful work of Ai Weiwei.