Aembrosia & the (almost) disappeared art of gold thread embroidery.
"Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together."
-J.Ruskin
Craftsmanship is a timeless witness to man's ability to explore himself, his culture and his environment.
Therefore, since we all share the mission to propose craftsmanship as an ethical model of cultural sustainability, it is my pleasure today to tell you a story of a contemporary sample of luxury craftsmanship, inspired by one of the most precious embroidery techniques of the past.
If we look at Queen Elizabeth's coronation mantle, or the papal robes, or the cloaks of the processional statues of saints, we will notice precious, shimmering embroidery made of pure gold thread.
This is perhaps the most precious hand-embroidery technique, which over the millennia has been used to enhance power and authority, especially in the baroque period.
This kind of embroidery is not made using traditional gold-colored 'needlework'; in fact, the most precious technique consists in the application of metallic threads, dipped in pure 24 kt gold.
Today, there are only a few people able to perform this technique correctly, leveraging all its expressive variations. A technique that has therefore (almost) disappeared and is very difficult to learn, since it requires a savoir-faire consolidated through years of experience and constant refinement of the technique.
"Almost” disappeared, because one of the very few artisans in Italy left to carry on this technique is Maria Francesca Broggini..
..a very young and talented Italian craftswoman with whom I had the good fortune to cross paths in Milano.
A young woman who takes distance from the stereotype of the craftsman closed in his dark workshop, whose technique is destined to disappear with him; she is a living proof that artistic craftsmanship does not belong to the past and that love for art, heritage, culture, passion and commitment are not features of a disappeared old school approach; she is an example that applied fine art is no longer found only locked away in museums, but can be implemented in our daily lives, if we are able to appreciate it and take care of it over time.
Maria Francesca attended a specialized technical course in England, at the Royal School of Needlework, a school of embroidery founded in 1872 and sponsored by the British Royal Household, which deals with the restoration and production of royal embroidery.
Aembrosia takes its name from a drink from Greek mythology, the ambrosia, adding an e to evoke the embroidery technique.
It is said that ambrosia was a very rare drink, golden in color, capable of making man immortal, elevating him to the level of the gods.
A courageous choice, not without its obstacles and the countless challenges faced by contemporary artisans in a world that tends to reward speed, ephemerality and replaceability.
It is his mission, that all artisans share and supporters (like me myself), to re-educate the public to rediscover that sense of depth that gives value to things. That sense of Beauty that comes from research and daily commitment.
That value given to time and to things made slowly and consciously, destined to last forever.
A name not at all coincidental, Aembrosia, but inspired by the vision of John Keats, who at the beginning of Endymion tells us his vision of beauty, comparing it to ambrosia for it’s power of elevating man's soul.
Beauty that brings us closer to the invisible forces that created the world and that make our lives meaningful, even in the hardest moments.
Maria Francesca is committed to teaching and raising awareness about the rare art of gold thread embroidery, through..
- Atelier visits on request, with presentation and demonstration of the technique.
- Group and individual lessons through in-atelier workshops
For more info, contact CLICK HERE
www.aembrosia.com
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Credits: all the pictures are owned by Aembrosia by Broggini Maria Francesca | Ph. Matteo Rossi & Silvia Marabese,