Summer is right around the corner.... One activity we hope to accomplish in the coming months is to tackle our summer reading list. On the list this year? Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time.
We've mentioned Proust before. The French writer (1871-1922) was a contemporary and admirer of Mariano Fortuny. He is most famous for his novel In Search of Lost Time, which some critics have hailed as the definitive novel of the twentieth century.
Proust found much of his inspiration in aesthetic philosophy. For example, he had a particular interest in Impressionism, and wanted to emulate its subject matter through his work. Furthermore, throughout the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time, Proust makes several references to Fortuny, such as this excerpt from Volume Five: The Captive:
Of all the outdoor and indoor gowns that Mme de Guermantes wore, those which seemed most to respond to a specific intention, to be endowed with a special significance, were the garments made by Fortuny from old Venetian models. Is it their historical character, or is it rather that each one of them is unique, that gives them so special a significance that the pose of the woman who is wearing one while waiting for you or while she talks to you assumes an exceptional importance, as though the costume had been the fruit of a long deliberation and your conversation was somehow detached from everyday life like a scene in a novel?
It won't be a quick read, but In Search of Lost Time - with Proust's vivid writing, interspersed with themes of guilt, anxiety, and memory - is sure to keep us busy.
“(Fortuny) is remembered as a Renaissance Man, for his versatile mosaic of
talents,
but it is the specific category of textiles and garments that guarantees
his
immortality. Any of these, taken from one of his magical ateliers,
stands on its
own, offering us a window into another world.”
Caroline Milbank, Fashion Historian
From ancient Greco-Roman art to Christian churches to Gaudi’s Parc Guell, mosaics are a form of art that has been used for centuries. It involves the arrangement of small pieces of a certain material, most commonly glass or stone, to create a design or picture.
A famous mosaic of ancient origin is The Beauty of Durres, an elliptical depiction of a woman’s head surrounded by flora and fauna. Discovered in 1916 in Durres, Albania, the mosaic decorated the floor of a private and luxurious restroom during the 4th century BCE. Luxurious, indeed.
The Beauty of Durres - Durres, Albania
In the Nea Moni monastery, built in the 11th century on the Greek island of Chios, mosaic panels have survived, depicting evangelists and scenes from Christ’s life.
Mosaic panels in Nea Moni - Chios, Greece
Mosaics took on a new form during the 20th century, when Catalan architects such as Antoni Gaudi created patterns from shards of broken tiles. This technique, known as trencadis, can be seen in Gaudi’s Parc Guell in Barcelona.
Parc Guell - Barcelona, Spain
This brings us to the debut of our Fortuny mosaics, both the first patent in fabric mosaics and our company’s first patent since Fortuny passed in 1949. Handmade in Italy with 1- or 2-cm fabric tiles, they are customizable in pattern, color, and fabric. If you’ve been to the New York showroom recently, you may have noticed these mosaic panels:
Mosaic photos by Steve Freihon
Fortuny mosaics can be used for panels, wall coverings, and floors - and we even have a client who’s thinking of using it for a headboard. We’re excited for the possibilities of these mosaics and can’t wait to see the beautiful designs they’ll surely depict.
"Unlike the hardness and resistance of the traditional material of a mosaic,
which have always been selected to weather the elements, Fortuny has turned
the concept of a mosaic into something soft and warm, while still maintaining
the same benefits of being a mosaic and the many opportunities
it presents to clients with what they can do to it.“
Pietro Lunetta, Fortuny Design Director and Mosaics Creator
Read more about them in Interior Design magazine.
Click to see larger image
Googling will lead to some interesting finds.
Mickey recently looked up the Countess Elsie Lee Gozzi, who took over the company after Mariano Fortuny’s passing in 1949. He found a Milwaukee Sentinel article from March 16, 1963.
The article discusses the importance of fabrics in any type of room. Can you imagine a room without any fabrics? “Such an atmosphere would be drained of all beauty,” explains the Countess. It’s also a matter of being practical, as striped fabrics, for example, can raise or lower the perceived height of a room.
Click to see the original article.
It’s always fun discovering and sharing a piece of Fortuny history, especially when it’s about the Countess, who helped to carry on Fortuny’s legacy. She is responsible, after all, for bringing Fortuny fabrics out of churches and museums and into people's homes. To this day, we have clients come into our showroom, telling us stories about the Countess and her impeccable taste and wit.
Do you have a Countess story? We'd love to hear it! Let us know by emailing iris@fortuny.com.
Happy New Year! The year is new, but this week, we’re taking it antique.
Imagine perusing a garage sale. Lying inconspicuously among piles of books with that old book smell and dusty china tea seats is a tapestry of rich blue-green and gold. The delicate fabric, the vibrant colors, the ecclesiastical design - you immediately recognize it as an original Fortuny piece. And best of all? You purchase it for a grand total of $10.
That’s what designer John Michael Murphy did when he stopped by a Southampton garage sale about nine years ago. He visited our showroom recently to share this fortuitous find with us, and we loved the incredible story.
John Michael Murphy rolling up his exquisite garage sale find
Fortuny’s fabrics have a rich history. In the early 1900’s, textiles were in vogue, becoming a common part of household decor and even the subject of many paintings. Fortuny’s work in stage design led him to wardrobe design - and thus began his experimentation with fabrics.
Using a combination of blocks and stencils, dyes, machines, and hand painting (all of his own creation), Fortuny made his famous scarves, wraps, jackets, and dresses. In the 1920s, a higher demand for his gowns and decorative textiles forced him to expand his business. Fortuny worked with long staple Egyptian cotton upon opening his factory, located on the Venetian island of Giudecca, in 1921, in order to print on a wider raw material. He adapted his dyeing and printing techniques for cotton, allowing him to achieve the same result of “a rich quality and depth of colour employing designs based on classical motifs.”
Fortuny tapestry, at center behind round table (click to enlarge)
While many fabric pieces were given to Mickey and Maury’s father from Countess Elsie Lee Gozzi, who took over the company after Fortuny passed in 1949, much of our collection was found hidden in dark, dusty corners and on out-of-the-way shelves at the factory. Our large collection includes these recovered textiles, including trial pieces that Fortuny tested while perfecting his methods of making the fabrics as we know them today.
Visit the QSSI to view tapestries from our collection up close
Source: De Osma, Guillermo. Mariano Fortuny: His Life and Work. NY: Rizzoli, 1980.
This morning, Mickey found a pleasant surprise in his inbox - an email from Tudy Sammartini with photos from her archives of the Countess Elsie Lee Gozzi's salon at the Fortuny factory in Venice.
Tudy, along with Ilaria Forti, is the woman behind the Fortuny garden rejuvenation project. She had also introduced her cousin Count Gozzi to Elsie - but that's an interesting story best saved for another post.
A view of the terrace through the Countess' bedroom
The terrace
The main salon
A view of the interior
These vintage photos capture the taste of the Contessa, who set the standard at Fortuny for elegance, as anyone who had ever sat with her in the salon can attest to.
See more photos on our Facebook page.
Last week, Mickey traveled to Venice for a trip to the Fortuny factory, one of several trips that he and Maury must make throughout the year. One day, a reporter walked into the factory, asked Mickey some questions, and snapped a few photos with his phone. Lo and behold - the next morning, Mickey found himself on the front page of the “Cultura & Spettacoli” (Culture & Entertainment) section of the Venetian newspaper La Nuova!
Click to see a larger version
The article, by Alberto Vitucci, discusses a brief history of Mariano Fortuny, a “renaissance man” and artist, who was born in Granada, Spain, but found his home in Venice. Vitucci emphasizes the importance of the city to the company, and vice versa. Fortuny fabrics are manufactured only in Venice, using Fortuny’s original machinery. Mickey explains, “Vogliamo mantenere viva questa parte de storia veneziana” (We want to keep this piece of Venetian history alive).
There's something magical about the city of Venice, where the legacy of Fortuny lives on - and where an impromptu interview and cell phone photo shoot just might land you in the Italian press.