INTRODUCTION

The soprarizzo (also called “soprariccio”) or cesellato velvet, in particular, is the most precious velvet

of our manual production. That’s because it’s woven on original 18th-century looms and requires a
more complex manufacturing process combining cut and curly velvet. The result is a unique fabric
with silky and brilliant tones and a three-dimensional design.

Da Vinci soprarizzo velvet – Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR SOPRARIZZO OR CESELLATO

VELVET
 Each cesellato velvet is a unique piece, an exclusive creation of the highest craftsmanship. In
fact, despite weavers’ excellent skills, the pressure they put on the loom in the weaving process,
which is entirely manual, can be slightly different from one day to another.
 It’s an iridescent fabric, due to the presence of two different types of pile, one curly at the
base and one cut, smoother and higher. This process enhances the design with its three-
dimensionality and, above all, allows the light to reflect on the two types of velvet in a different way,
making the cut pile darker and the curl one lighter, thus creating extraordinary effects of light, shade
and depth.

TECNIQUE
 The manual velvet process is so complex that it requires weavers with a great deal of training
and experience: it takes years to master this art.

 Its processing is very complex and time consuming and requires, among other elements,
precision and physical strength. weaver has to press the loom pedals to move both the
perforated cards in the Jacquard machine and the warp and weft threads. In addition, for
each millimeter of fabric, she must pull out the needle that creates the curly velvet and slide
the blade over the one that creates the cut pile. Moreover, the loom which dates back to the
18th century isn’t as fast as modern machines and must  often be recharged and reset.

 The width of this fabric does not exceed 67 cm (which corresponds roughly to the length of
an arm). This is for a very practical reason: in the production of manual velvet, weaver must
continuously cut the silk threads that will form the pile throughout the width of the fabric with
a very sharp arm movement. If this width exceeded the length of her arm, the cut couldn’t be
clean and precise.
 The preparation of the manual loom can take up to 6 months and requires from two to
three of our weavers. It starts from a drawing that is reproduced on graph paper to create the
punched cards that are the basis for the functioning of the jacquard loom. It follows the
preparation of the warp (on original 18th-century revolving warps) and the setting up of
the cantra, the machine used to load the threads on the loom, where our weavers patiently
place hundreds of reels of thread

design
The decorative motifs come from an invaluable archive of more than 3,500 drawings, ranging from
Byzantine art to contemporary art. Among the oldest of these is Leoni, whose design represents the
Other designs are of modern style such as Metropolis, which recalls the lines of the metropolises
designed by the Bauhaus architects; Walls, inspired by the bronze and iron portal of the Madison
Belmont Building in New York, one of the first Art Deco masterpieces in America; the animalier
patterns, such as Leopardo, Tigre, and Zebra.
Examples

 soprarizzo "Fioroni" (Large Flowers) velvets 

Leoni Soprarizzo Velvet

PIOVEGO SOPRARIZZO VELVET

https://paradi.online/language/en/dolce-gabbana-alta-moda-soprarizzo-velvet-dress-how-
is-it-made/
https://www.luigi-bevilacqua.com/en/soprarizzo-velvet/?
fbclid=IwAR1gZrBqcJGtMVpvZu6smpL4ttpmzQ5yuXjhi9NuRRKQUlKLh9tyNLSZcfQ
http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/library/fabrictypes.htm
https://www.inspirationsstudios.com/the-velvet-weavers-of-venice/
https://www.luigi-bevilacqua.com/en/handmade-velvets/