Remaking the Renaissance

Photo of several maroon and yellow textiles layered on top of each other with the words Remaking the Renaissance over them.

Remaking the Renaissance offers a fresh take on this iconic period of textile and fashion history, transforming the way we think about and see the cloth and clothing of the early modern period.

Looking at key textile innovations in the era c.1400-1700, Remaking the Renaissance suggests that objects and their histories can be restored and recreated through conservation and research. The material and technical innovations of the period, such as rich crimson velvets, elegant silk knitted stockings, delicate lace trimmings, and highly sculptured tailored garments, are refashioned through reconstructions and hands-on research. Rethinking the Renaissance anew, it also widens our understanding of the early modern textile world – showing how fashions were made, imitated, and disseminated among the wider population.

Demonstrating that remaking is an academic and creative research method, this exhibition shows how material loss and survival bias can be overcome through conservation, scientific testing, hands-on experimentation, and material and digital reconstructions. Remaking the Renaissance draws on the significant textile holdings of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection and new works from UW researchers, as well as key loans from across UW campus and from the European Research Council-funded Refashioning the Renaissance project.

Remaking the Renaissance was curated by Dr. Sophie Pitman, Pleasant Rowland Textile Specialist and Research Director. This exhibition was developed with generous support from Susan J. and Harry C. Engstrom as part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is ready for the next generation of students and scholars. Additional support comes from the Anonymous Fund.

This exhibition was on view in the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery from February 7-May 19, 2024.

Remaking the Renaissance - Gallery Walkthrough

In the News:

Related Programs:

Remaking Objects in the Classroom and the Museum: A Panel Discussion

Panel discussion between scholars, curators, and creators including Deborah Krohn (Bard Graduate Center), Jonathan Tavares (Art Institute, Chicago), and Tracy Drier, Distinguished Master Glassblower (UW Madison) about how reconstructed objects and remaking methods can be used in innovative museum exhibitions and classroom teaching. Chaired by Sophie Pitman, curator of Remaking the Renaissance.

Installation in the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery

Installation view of main entrance of "Remaking the Renaissance"

Detail of fragments from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.

Installation view with two cases containing pieces from chasubles dating from 1400-1500 as well as a tapestry hung on the wall dating between between 1580-1590.

Installation view of main entrance of "Remaking the Renaissance" looking into secondary gallery.

Detail showing the interior lining of a 14th-18th century chasuble made from a Perugia towel. Chasuble, 1400–1600 (lining), 1500–1700 (outer) Makers not recorded, Italy Linen, cotton, wool, silk Gift of Warren E. Gilson, W.L.E.2984

Installation view of a wall of dyestuff and samples.

Detail of a case containing four, dyed fragments from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.

Detail of dye samples on display.

Installation view showing display case with several contemporary stockings knitted using techniques from the Renaissance period.

Detail of a white and green jacquard fragment. Fragment, 1400–1500 Makers not recorded, Spain Damask woven silk, wool, metal wrapped thread Gift of Kay Robertson & Loewi-Robertson, Inc., W.L.E.2951

Display showing history fragments of textiles and contemporary recreations, demonstrating the significance of the remaking process.

Detail of lace fragment. Reticella fragment, 15th–17th or 19th century Makers not recorded, possibly Italy Needle lace in linen L.N.E.0810

Installation view of "Remaking the Renaissance."

Detail of doublet. Doublet, 2020–21 Makers from School of Historical Dress, London Handspun, handwoven, dyed, and tailored mockado, fustian, linen, hemp, silk Refashioning the Renaissance Collection.

Detail of case showing tools for stamping velvet as well as buttons and velvet samples.

Installation view of "Remaking the Renaissance."

Detail of the display case showing books of secrets as well as examples of real and fake material samples of items popular during the Renaissance.

Display case showing samples and tools of ways people modified their garments in the Renaissance.

Display case showing fragments from the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection that would benefit from further research.

Detail of textile in case. Runner or mat, (woven) about 1550–1650, probably assembled 19th century Makers not recorded, probably Iran, possibly Turkey or Italy Lampas woven silk and metal-wrapped silk Transferred from the Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift to the Museum from Mr. & Mrs. William D. Vogel, 1999.07.005

Publications

Two graphics of book covers, one on the left with black background and blue jackets on the front, the right has a painting in the background showing people spinning wool. If you enjoyed our 2024 exhibition Remaking the Renaissance you may wish to explore two new open-access publications featuring some of the objects and themes that were on display! In January, Dr. Sophie Pitman, Pleasant Rowland Textile Specialist and Research Director of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, co-edited a special issue of Textile History with Paula Hohti (Aalto University), titled “Remaking Dress History: Applying Reconstruction Methods to Early Modern Textiles and Clothing.” It includes her article on recreating a seventeenth-century doublet entirely by hand using historically accurate materials, as well as a co-authored piece on digitally reconstructing a doublet using 3D animation. That same month, the edited volume Refashioning the Renaissance was published by Manchester University Press, featuring Pitman’s research on imitation textiles and many Experiments in Focus, which demonstrate how hands-on making reveals new insights into historical craft.