Medium: Silk velvet, silk and glass beads

Date: 1924

Country: Italy

Credit: Gift of Ann Schneider

Fortuny's interest in historical art and design is evident in this dress on the right that references the early Italian Renaissance. While the silhouette is a vague interpretation of a 14th-century gown, the fabric's paired griffins and palmette motifs are specific to textiles produced in Lucca. Fortuny owned a large collection of historical fabrics that informed his work, but he avoided anachronism by employing the lean line and unrestricted silhouette embraced by modern fashion.

Object Number: 91.218.1