Acanthus in large groups is the most conventional subject a furnishing damask can have, and it is treated here in a way that is not conventional at all. The leaves are modelled by shading and chiaroscuro rather than outlined, and the ground behind them has been given an antiqued surface using textures made specifically for the purpose, so the cloth looks as though it has already lived somewhere.
The fibres were chosen for that effect as much as for performance: viscose and linen wefts weaving against a silk warp, each taking colour and light differently. Linen is why the ground has grain in it.
A lampas at 430 g on an 86 cm vertical repeat over 67.5 cm across, which is a large figure and wants a long drop to make sense of it. Six colours, 135 cm wide, made in Italy.
