Scalamandré | The MET

the metropolitan museum of art

Fabric, Wallcovering & Trimming

collection

This captivating collection, created in collaboration with The Met, draws on artworks and objects from across nine of The Met’s 17 curatorial departments to create a rich mosaic of historical narratives. Each design is a celebration of artisanship, inspired by exquisite forms and cultural traditions. Following our first collaboration with The Met in the 1970s, we bring museum magic into the home once again in homage to history and the grand beauty of art.

• Fret Mosaic Grasscloth

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Scalamandre | The Met - Fabric, Wallcovering and Trimming Collection

Greek & Roman Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

5. a.

Fret Mosaic Grasscloth

Embroidered Greek Key Mica Appliqué

SC WP88557

Fret Mosaic Grasscloth

Material Width: 32"
Horizontal Repeat: 16"
Vertical Repeat: 15.75"

Terracotta fragment of a kylix (drinking cup)

Greek, Attic
Terracotta; red-figure; 490–480 B.C.
Gift of Dietrich von Bothmer, Distinguished
Research Curator, Greek and Roman Art, 2011 2011.604.1.2407

Taking inspiration from a Greek drinking cup, or kylix, dating to 490–480 B.C., the Fret Mosaic Grasscloth’s Greek key motif is both timeless and elegant. A recurrent detail in ancient Greek design, the continuous meander of this iconic device symbolizes eternity and infinity.

Offered in three colorways, this wallcovering features precision-cut mica appliquéd on woven grasscloth. The Greek key has been interpreted as a dynamic allover motif. Its dimension and texture make it a refined yet eye-catching wallcovering.