The Gandini textile collection
Enchanting weaves
An ample selection of this prestigious textile collection donated by the count Luigi Alberto Gandini in 1881-1882 is displayed in a hall that has maintained its suggestive 19th century set up.
The collection is one of the most important in Italy and is made up of over 2,500 fragments of garment and furniture fabric: velvet, damask, brocade, satin, taffeta, printed canvas, embroidery, bobbin lace, passementerie, ribbons, braided trim and fringe. It also boasts an abundant and colorful set of yarn samples, techniques and ornamental designs of the textile arts (predominantly Italian and European), from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The entire room is the result of a project inspired and carried out in all of its various phases by Gandini himself. The decoration is owed to the painter and set designer Andrea Becchi (1849-1926), who proposes a suggestive rococo-style framing of the display cases, creating a close rapport between the collection and the space that houses it.