Starting from 27 April, with the reopening of the Museo Ferragamo, it is possible to visit the exhibition "Silk", in person, organized with the participation of the University Museum System, with finds coming from the collections of the Museum of Botany and from the zoological collections of 'La Specola'. The exhibition itinerary is set up in the historical site of Palazzo Spini Feroni.
The exhibition can also be enjoyed with an online virtual tour.
Curated by Judith Clark and Stefania Ricci, the exhibition tells the adventure of Salvatore Ferragamo's printed silk from the Seventies to the present, through the key themes that have made his creations famous with an exhibition that spans eight rooms, and each traces the sources of inspiration that are then reproduced in the silk products exhibited.
That's where we recognize the felines, herons, and penguins of ‘La Specola’, camellias, gardenias, waterlilies, Lilium from the botanical wax models collections, Chinese influences from the Villa del Poggio Imperiale, birds and roses from the volumes of the National Library of Florence, and much more.
From the zoological collections of the ‘La Specola’ Museum come natural taxidermic preparations such as Leo (Panthera leo), Zimbabwe, 1986; Southern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome), Tasmania, February 1898; Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), Antarctica, 23 December 1902; Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), Australia, 1894; Great White Heron (Egretta alba), Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), May 1886; Red Heron (Ardea purpurea), May 1936.
From the botanical collections, the wax models in porcelain pots dating from the 18th and 19th centuries such as: Amaryllis belladonna, author C. Susini and F. Calenzuoli; Camellia japonica, author C. Susini and F. Calenzuoli; Fritillaria imperialis, author F. Calenzuoli; Hemerocallis flava, author F. Calenzuoli; Iris persica, author F. Calenzuoli ?; Gardenia florida, author F. Calenzuoli; Lilium [superbum], author L. Calamai; Nymphaea alba, author L. Calamai; Nymphaea lutea, author F. Calenzuoli; Plumeria alba, author F. Calenzuoli.
Silk
By Judith Clark and Stefania Ricci,
25 March 2021 – 18 April 2022