Materias preciosas textiles: el caso del bordado con posible escena de Pentecostés del Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas

Abstract

This paper presents the technology of the metallic threads used in the textiles of the Middle Ages trough the study of an embroidery fragment preserved in the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas. The origin and the development of the metallic threads technology are explained, including the different metals and alloys used. The paper also studies the questions related with the provenance and workshop of the embroidery as an example of the diversity of decorative sources and workshops active in the 12th-13th centuries in the Western Mediterranean area.