'Olympia' pattern
Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (1871-1949)
Category
Textiles
Date
1900 - 1929
Materials
Cotton
Place of origin
Venice
Order this imageCollection
Attingham Park, Shropshire
NT 609526
Summary
Nine items of printed cotton in 'Olympia' pattern, consisting of one pair of curtains, one pelmet, three cotton fragments, two tie backs and one border. Purple, printed white with 17th Cent. baroque design a) self fabric border b) self fabric piping Cream plain weave Hand and machine sewn, edged on three sides with trim a) b); hemmed at top; flat to self lining heading band with rings (removed). Printed cotton; twill weave; dyed purple. Block printed with white pigment; no selvages cut to just over print block size width. Straight repeat drop 1250 mm x 660 mm. Print block 1250 mm x 66cm. Designed by Fortuny taken from an Italian 17th cent baroque source. Floral, with pineapples, corucopias and silver baskets. a) self fabric border 40 mm floral cartouches, 3 motifs repeated. b) self fabric piping. c) baste fibre woven and coated with black thick pigment interlining. Cream linen or cotton (?) plain weave (tabby). Early 20th century Italian manufacture by Mariano Fortuny (1871-1949) who favoured the use of cottons, and was eclectic in his use of design sources. Much of his output was intended for use in Historic Houses where the original brilliance had diminished. Difficult to date because he re-used designs all his life. 'Mariano Fortuny Venice; Exhibition Catalogue Brighton Museum 1980'. Fortuny's designs were purchased by Teresa, Lady Berwick (1890-1972), adding to the fashion and textile collection at Attingham that she later gifted to the National Trust. Teresa grew up in Venice, where she would have first come across Fortuny’s work. She married Thomas Noel-Hill, 8th Baron Berwick in 1919 and they moved to Attingham, Thomas’s family seat, shortly afterwards. The couple were both passionate about the revival of Attingham’s neglected 19th century interiors, and Teresa used her knowledge and practical skills to lead this campaign. Teresa’s household cash book from the early 1920s (Shropshire Archives 112/9/1/1/20/1) lists several large orders of Fortuny textiles, along with regular payments to ‘upholstresses’ and ‘seamstresses’. She looked to Fortuny for new curtains at Attingham, and for making case covers to protect fragile pieces of furniture (see NT 610137). The ‘Olympia’ pattern Teresa chose for her curtains is still available from Fortuny today.
Provenance
This fabric was purchased from Fortuny by Lady Berwick in the early 1920s to replace the curtains in the Inner Library and West Anteroom. Attingham collection; bequeathed to the National Trust with the estate, house and contents of Attingham by Thomas Henry Noel-Hill, 8th Baron Berwick (1877-1947) on 15th May 1953.
Makers and roles
Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (1871-1949), designer