museum
56,000 blocks, 12,000 drawings in three centuries across time and style. The fashion that crossed Europe in one of the most vital and fertile periods of its culture.
the collection’s origin www.zucchicollection.org
In 1987, Giordano Zucchi, a textile group director sensitive to changing tastes in the art of furnishing, came into possession of a handblock of wood and pewter which had formerly been used for the production of hand-printed fabrics. It was only one among many to have been found in a certain factory in Gloucestershire. These handblocks had been the property of the prestigious English textiles company David Evans & Co. who, for more than 150 years, had been gathering them from Europe’s major printing houses. Giordano Zucchi was not one to let an opportunity pass him by and in 1988, this important legacy was renamed “The Zucchi Collection”. Its value was further enhanced by the addition of special copper plates used to create the characteristic “batik” design. Today it is considered to be one of the biggest collections of handblocks for printed fabrics in the world. The cultural value of the Collection gained official recognition in 1997 when it received the Guggenheim Award. The Collection’s 12,000 designs bear witness, over a period which spans three centuries from 1785 to 1935, to a fashion that was both varied and popular. Such tastes were apparent in during one of the most energetic and fertile periods of European culture, which ended with the first stylistic experiments of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. The Collection houses 56,000 printing blocks, an extraordinary number by any reckoning and one which presents concrete problems not only of space but also of storage in structures able to support the weight of many tonnes. To make the Collection accessible not only to scholars but also to the fashion people, it was necessary to choose criteria by which the artefacts could be subdivided. The Zucchi Collection has been divided into six categories, which are identified in terms of iconographic forms: abstract, cashmere, floral, geometric, ornamental and pictorial. The Collection has been further subdivided according to the specific uses not only for the borders of the materials but also for foulards, bandanas, various ties, scarves and cravats, etc. A special data card, in computerised and paper formats, has been assigned to every series of blocks. Each of these contains various items of information about the handblock concerned, including the number of pieces which make up the structure, the design style it is capable of reproducing, its historical period and its origins. Attention has also been given to the question of conserving these structures and rightly so because the wood is sensitive material. The humidity and temperature levels require strict control and beeswax and turpentine must be applied to maintain the elasticity of the wood. The importance of the Zucchi Collection is not simply restricted to the gathering together of the handblocks nor to the subsequent cataloguing, storage, preservation and exhibition of these items. In fact, a series of initiatives dedicated to various groups of people, ensures that this Collection remains at the disposal of the public. The result is that it is accessible to those who wish not only to become better acquainted with it, but who would also like to support the various activities associated with it. The latter serve to promote a love and understanding of this unique and vital heritage. They seem to us to be a valid means of safely conveying a unique tradition from the past and preserving it for present and future generations.
The Zucchi Collection of Antique Handblocks
www.zucchicollection.org
Zucchi is part of the Zucchi Group
P.IVA 00771920154
updated 19/05/2012
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