Mariano Fortuny, born 1871 - died 1949, Furnishing fabric. Italy, 1927. Printed velvet. Given by J W F Morton & Courtaulds Ltd. Museum number: T.131-1977.  Victoria & Albert Museum, London © V&A Images

Dark blue green velvet printed in silver and gold metallic pigment with a design of meandering vertical vines wound with leafy tendrils, decorated bands and bearing bunches of grapes, derived from a 16th century Italian woven textile. Lined with beige silk.

This silk velvet is printed with repeats of grapes, leaves, and stems. Mariano Fortuny was a Spanish artist (1871-1949) who lived in Venice. Fortuny's production of printed textiles was strongly influenced by his family's collection of Arabic and Oriental decorative arts and textiles. He was also influenced by the city of Venice where he spent his adult life and where he studied Renaissance arts. The motifs used during the Renaissance (such as the grapes or the pomegranate) can be found in his prints.

Fortuny liked to experiment with printing techniques. For velvets, he used hand-cut wooden blocks, then he included engraved blocks, metal stencils, hand painting, and finally, a fine cloth stencil. He printed with metallic powders, using bronze or copper powders for a golden effect and aluminium for silver.