Raccolta:

The indiane, printed clothes with wooden matrices from India, subsequently produced also in Europe, were particularly popular in Liguria in the 18th century, when they were used to weave the large veils known as mezzari. First worn by aristocratic women, over time the mezzari were gradually associated with popular clothing, to eventually become a characteristic piece of furniture from the early 20th century. The production of these colourful artefacts is mainly due to the establishment of new factories in the western area of Genoa in the last quarter of the 18th century by entrepreneurs such as Speich and Testori. The Textile Collections contains numerous specimens of mezzari with different designs, such as the traditionally known as the Mezzari of the Old Tree, of the Chestnut, and of the Vacchette.