Senatori Velvet

The pattern of one of our luxury furnishing fabrics was created for a 17th-century male robe that was quite important for the history of Venice: the toga of the Senatori of the Serenissima.

History and Interesting Facts About Senatori Velvet

Today, professional attire is required in the palaces of the Senate in Rome. In particular, men must wear a tie and suit jacket. The same was true of Venetian Senatori in the 16th and 17th centuries: when on duty, they had to follow a precise dress code. Like other patricians, they wore a cloth gown but not black like everyone else: it was crimson red. It was completed by a stole indicating their role in the senate. With their red robes made of velvet or damask, they stood out from the rest of the Venetian aristocracy on Saint Mark’s Square and during the government’s sittings and parades.

In the past, various attempts have been made to reproduce these gowns, but they all failed because hindered by a major problem.

The pile and the bottom of the fabric are both the same color: so, to distinguish the pattern, the pile must be higher than the ground. To get this effect, thick rods need to be placed beneath the threads, but none of them has been preserved and no craftsman was able to reproduce them.

In the late 1990s, however, Tessitura Bevilacqua succeeded in the attempt, making the right tools and thus being able to produce the Senatori soprarizzo handmade velvet. Besides this precious type of velvet, one can also find Senatori heddle velvet and Senatori velvet in the collection.

In addition to Senatori soprarizzo velvet, another type of velvet called “altobasso” or “pile-on-pile” was once produced by hand, of which you can see a photo from our archives. The latter is a type of handmade velvet with two different pile heights. This technique is similar to the soprarizzo in which there are two different levels of pile, one higher cut and one lower curly, but in this case they are both in cut pile. In fact, for its realization, two cutting irons of different heights are used: the lower one will create the ground and the higher one will create the pattern.

Senatori Velvet Pattern

The pattern of our Senatori velvet and Senatori heddle velvet, however, has remained the same as that of the togas used in the 16th and 17th centuries. The paintings by Domenico Tintoretto (1560-1635) and Tiepolo (1696-1770) that you can see on this page prove that: two large stems climb and interlace to enclose a crown first and then to hold up a corolla with four or six petals enclosing a stylized rosette.

Both elements are heraldic symbols:

• the crown was used on the coat of arms of all noble families to show their rank and dignity;
• the stylized rose, with a circular seed in the center, represents honor and nobility.

Technical Specs and Available Colors

The pile of Senatori soprarizzo manual velvet is made in silk while its ground is in cotton. Senatori heddle velvet is woven from silk and cotton and Senatori velvet is made of cotton and viscose. Although soft and light, these two yarns are less bright and elastic than silk, but viscose, in particular, is more resistant over time and therefore perfect for upholstery fabrics. The colors available for the three types of velvet are shown below.

Senatori Soprarizzo Velvet

Senatori Heddle Velvet

SENATORI
087/3970S indigo

Senatori Velvet

Senatori brocatelle

With the same pattern, another fabric is also available. Senatori brocatelle, in silk, linen, and viscose, is ideal for luxury furnishings, upholstery, and sacred vestments.

SENATORI
190/3470 mandorla

Projects With Senatori Velvet

Senatori heddle velvet was used, together with other of our fabrics, in the restoration of Palazzo Torres in Venice, by architect Eric Carlson of the Carbondale studio, commissioned by Dolce&Gabbana. The historic Venetian palace has thus become the splendid headquarters of the multi-story boutique of the famous Italian Maison.

Senatori Velvet on Social Media