Zhao Mengjian painted orchids; this jacquard takes only the leaves. Stripped of the flower, what remains is a set of long filiform strokes with the balance of brush drawing still in them, which is harder to weave than a flower and easier to live with.
The contrast is tone on tone, gloss against matt, so the drawing appears as a change of surface rather than of colour. That is what keeps it quiet across twelve colourways. Cotton with viscose at 490 g, 26,000 Martindale rubs, rated for medium use. The repeat runs 57 cm down and 67.5 cm across, half the 135 cm width. Drawn by Formafantasma. Made in Italy.
