naugurated in 2001, the museum is housed in the sixteenth-century church of Sant’Agostino, restored to preserve and display the numerous tulle embroidered artifacts previously scattered among private individuals and city churches. Needle embroidery done directly on cotton or silk tulle has spread since the early decades of the 19th century thanks to the improvement, made by the English Heathcoat and Lurdley in 1809, of a loom to mechanically produce tulle, a very light, airy but at the same time resistant fabric, characterized by hexagonal hole meshes. This embroidery technique, created to offer a production similar to bobbin and needle lace, was practiced by the nuns of the Virgins’ college of Panicale and taught to the students who attended it at least until 1872, the year of its closure. From the 1930s, the tradition was revived by Panicale native Anita Belleschi Grifoni, who perfected the workmanship, reworked the designs and simplified the stitches. Convinced of the economic and social potential linked to this traditional female activity, Belleschi Grifoni founded a school and established the “Ars Panicalensis” brand. Since 1936, the company collaborated with ENAPI (National Agency for Handicrafts and Small Industries), also creating contacts with many contemporary artists, who produced designs and models to embroider. Thanks to Mrs. Anita’s enterprise and her numerous social relationships, but also because of the low cost of the items, the embroidery of “Ars Panicalensis” became famous among nobles and families of the middle and upper bourgeoisie, so much so that some pieces were also sold to the House of Savoy and the Torlonia princes. The school, like previous and similar experiences in the region, also aimed to guarantee women their own economic independence and personal fulfillment through the production and marketing of their artifacts. After the death of Anita Belleschi Grifoni and the closure of the school, some embroiderers continued to keep the traditional technique alive.
Information about the “Anita Belleschi Grifoni” Tulle Museum
Piazza Regina Margherita, 5/A
06064 Panicale (Perugia)
075837951
panicale@sisemamuseo.it
Source: MIBACT
