Janet Perry has a new book out. She's doing a virtual blog tour right now to inform us all about her book and about Bargello in general- something I love but have never really done. You probably know Janet as the Guide and needlepoint wizard from About.com. She's currently the author and editor of her blog, Nuts about Needlepoint, which reflects her love for needlepoint. Thanks for stopping by, Janet.
The Romance of Bargello
No matter what you call it, the stories surrounding the origin of Bargello are romantic, charming, and none of them can be proved.
Bargello pieces can be found dating back to the Renaissance and, unlike many other forms of needlework, they look exactly like modern Bargello.
The name Bargello comes from the name of a Florentine Palace, which has a pair of 17th Century chairs in it covered in Bargello. The palace has been many things, including a prison. One legend has
Bargello being taught to the prisoners.
Today it is a museum. Although this piece is more recent, most sources place the origins of Bargello in the Renaissance or earlier. The earliest pieces still around are from the 14th Century.
Another Florentine legend involves monks at a nearby monastery. They
taught the technique to widows and orphans. Although the truth of this
story cannot be determined, one monastery does have a
Bargello pattern book dating back to the 1500's
The legends surrounding it's introduction generally have a
Hungarian princess marrying into Florentine nobility (probably the
Medicis). The ladies of the court were enchanted and began to stitch
the
new technique. Some of the stories I've read have this happening in the
Middle Ages, some during the Renaissance. Other legends have another
Hungarian princess marrying into Polish nobility and brought
Bargello pieces as part of her dowry.
From these legends you see how Bargello got two of its other name, Florentine work, and Hungarianpoint.
Bargello was most popular in the 17th and 18th Centuries, when
abstract patterns of flowers, like the Carnation pattern, and Bargello
with many color changes covered all kinds of household
furnishings.
Because Bargello can be worked economically, with little thread on
the back, it became quite popular for large items, like bed hangings,
which got relatively little wear. One scholar guesses that
the large number of colors in early Bargello was due to stitchers using what they had.
As life became easier, Bargello became less popular, until it became part of the great needlepoint revival in the 1970's
Elsa Williams book Bargello was one of the most popular books to
introduce stitchers to the technique. It introduced me and is still one
of my favorites. Dorothy Kaestner, a marvelous stitcher, created
Four-way and Eight-way Bargello, both of which make simple Bargello
patterns has an unbelievable complexity. Another stitcher Gigs Stevens,
used Bargello to fill irregular shapes, calling her book Free-form
Bargello. Besides these authors, there are many wonderful Bargello
books with classic patterns out there just waiting for you.
Since that time, many stitchers have kept Bargello alive by stitching
the old patterns and creating new innovations. If you've never tried
Bargello, now is perfect time to begin. It's easy to do and with all the lovely threads out there, you can make something really beautiful and unique.
--
Keep Stitching,
Janet M. Perry
napaneedlepoint@gmail.com
http://www.napaneedlepoint.com
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com - blog
Thanks Janet for this good information. I will referencd this site as well as your own in our next newsletter.
I like Bargello which was one of my first techniques I learned.
Posted by: Garnett | January 23, 2010 at 07:14 PM