Applied brocade (ger. Pressbrokat) is a decorative technique of wooden (and sometimes stone) surfaces which aims to imitate the typical relief of precious silk textiles. The effect is achieved by shaping a sheet of tin in a mould, filling it with a putty and then gluing it to the support. The discovery of an example of applied brocade on a Reliquary from the National gallery of Slovenia, dated around the beginning of the 16th century, was the motivating force behind a more in-depth research of the history and technology of the technique. This research laid the theoretical groundwork for the later intervention on the relief, which was mostly limited to re-gluing the loose fragments on the support. The consolidation allowed an easier reading of the motif and a more detailed analysis of its morphological aspects; it also made possible to compare it with other preserved examples of applied brocade, mostly from artworks originating in Furlania. The similarities between these works and the Reliquary eased the graphic reconstruction of the motif, and offered an interesting insight into the connections between Friulian and Carinthian workshops of the early 16th century.
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