Tapestry ‘Vita di mare’ 1, 20th c.

Tapestry ‘Vita di mare’ 1, 1st half 20th century, I-Taranto. Private property (MS Inventory 61).

“Ricamo in bisso marino su tessuto mareccato con filo dorato”, sea silk embroidered on beige moiré, decorated with gold thread, 83×62 cm, motifs: seaweed, mussels, snails, jellyfishes and fishes.

In September 2018, the Archivio di Stato in Taranto, under the direction of Dr. Lucia D’Ippolito, hosted an exhibition: “Ulivo e Bisso Marino. Il mediterraneo che unisce.” For the first time, it was possible to exhibit sea silk objects from private persons, which were unknown until now. Also, important written documents and photographs were on display, which added to the history of sea silk in Taranto. This tapestry ‘Vita di mare’ belongs to these objects.