c. 1450s-1500s

Orphrey Fragment showing the Annunciation

Woven orphreys - made as decoration for church vestments - were produced in Florence and the surrounding area, including Siena, from as early as the mid-fifteenth century as a special branch of the guild-regulated silk weaving industry. Florentine orphreys were woven as wide fabrics that could be later cut into sections, and are similar in their compositions and border designs to the woodcuts used for books produced in Florence during the same period.