ABSTRACT
My aim in this chapter is to call for more exploration by art historians of the different values that would have affected appreciation of the sumptuous fabrics - velvets, damasks, patterned brocades especially - that have long been seen as a prominent feature of Venetian Renaissance painting and a reflection of the luxurious textiles on sale in the city. In recent years, social and economic historians have furthered our understanding of the manufac ture and retailing of such fabrics, and historians of textiles and decorative arts have illuminated the development of new weaving and needlework techniques and designs.1 It is when we wish to consider the use of these textiles that we encounter the sphere of values. Understanding the rationale and ramifications of these shifting values relating to textiles in life, as used in dress and in the embellishment of architectural spaces, is one problem. Understanding the different though overlapping significances attributed to textiles in painting is another. What is offered here is a preliminary sketch of some of the issues involved.
