MANDORLATO

The screen, conceived for a refined bathroom, has a wooden structure; the panels are lined with hand-woven damask, also used for the towels. The damask, whose weave and under-weave are in cotton, has been realized on a manual jacquard loom from the 19th century with a “flying shuttle” (patented by Vicenzi in 1836). The initial step is the technical drawing on graph paper; then the cardboard “cards” have to be prepared by perforating them by hand. 

Two hundred cards, each corresponding to a precise effect on the weft, were used to determine the final effect of the fabric. The cards are sewn into a chain, which is “read” by the jacquard loom. The loom is operated by the weaver using a pedal. With this ancient artisanal procedure, no more than 25 cm of fabric can be produced per day.