Venice Palazzo Mocenigo: History of Textile, Costume and Perfume

Patrician residence in San Stae, housing valuable eighteenth-century furnishing and paintings. The palazzo is the home of the Centro Studi di Storia del Tessuto e del Costume (Centre for the Study of the History of Textiles and Clothing), and holds rich, complex collections coming from diverse sources. Among them, the museum displays a selection of rare pieces – fabrics and outfits, including original, sumptuous eighteenth-century dresses – of special importance. The dresses and accessories on display, which are for the most part of Venetian origin, were made with textured fabrics and often embellished with embroidery and lace, standing as excellent testimony to the skills of the large group of artisans (weavers, tailors, lace-makers, embroiderers, etc.) who contributed to creating the refined and luxurious elegance for which the Venetians were famed at the time.