Reproductions for 'The Name of The Rose'

Reproductions for 'The Name of The Rose'

The illusion of fabric and the creation of atmosphere in the darkness of the Middle Ages

Commission: Production of the TV series ‘The Name of the Rose’ (Rai Fiction / Lux Vide)

The Context: From the light of the Renaissance to the shadows of the Abbey

Just as the Bottega Tifernate was immersed in reproducing Raphael’s light and Michelangelo’s perfect muscular forms, a challenge of a completely different nature arose. Lux Vide and Rai Fiction commissioned the company to work on the impressive international television adaptation of The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco’s literary masterpiece. The aim was not to celebrate humanistic beauty, but to recreate a dark, cold atmosphere steeped in mystery. The clients required textured works to ‘clothe’ the icy, silent walls of the abbey where the crimes take place, specifically requesting the reproduction of ancient and imposing medieval tapestries.

The Challenge: Textile Illusion Under the Camera’s Eye

Whilst for the Renaissance masters the challenge lay in recreating the perfection of the brushstroke or the texture of fresco plaster, the reproduction of a tapestry requires a completely different kind of visual and structural ‘magic’. For the Workshop, this meant temporarily setting aside the painter’s mindset to adopt that of the ancient weaver. The objective imposed by the ruthless cinematic resolution was to make the viewer physically perceive the weave of the fabric, the wear of the threads, the weight of the cloth and a range of muted colours, worn down by centuries of damp and the acrid smoke of torches.

The Work of the Workshop: Materials that breathe with the stage

Through a superb exercise in style and historical empathy, the master craftsmen of the Bottega have calibrated the supports and pigments to recreate the exact three-dimensionality of medieval textile art. The works produced have shed the flatness of painting to acquire the body, drape and roughness typical of the great loom-woven drapes of the 14th century.

The Outcome: Architects of atmosphere

The final result, admired by millions of viewers worldwide, confirmed yet another exceptional area of expertise for the Bottega Tifernate. On the small screen, the tapestries never appeared as mere ‘hanging’ set pieces to fill a space, but literally breathed with the scene. By absorbing the dim candlelight and casting deep shadows, the workshop’s works played a decisive role in recreating, in a tangible and material way, the sense of rigour, the evocative atmosphere and the claustrophobic solitude that make The Name of the Rose legendary.