Does a mysterious painting prove that blue denim existed about 200 years before Levi's?

The origin of the world's most popular fabric is controversial, as a new exhibition highlights a claim that firmly links denim to 17th-century Italy and traces its history 200 years ago.
Blue denim, this American symbol of informality and a life lived outdoors, is already controversially attributed to the South of the France, while modern denim mythology still holds that Levi Strauss, a German immigrant, had the idea of making work clothes with this durable cotton in San Francisco 150 years ago.
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Now a gallery run by international art dealer Maurizio Canesso is appealing for further research to help identify an anonymous person. painter specializing in street scenes often depicting poor people from northern Italy wearing what looks like blue denim.
Gallery Canesso, which has exhibition rooms in major European cities and exhibits in London. fairs, celebrates its 30 years of business in May with a traveling exhibition of the major works it has sold, loaned by their owners.
A centerpiece will be Beggar Woman with Two Children, one of ten paintings by the unknown "Master of Blue Jeans" who, according to Canesso, establishes the roots of the fabric in his native Lombardy.
The central figure in the painting wears what appears to be a frayed denim skirt.
“Unfortunately, we have no new theories on the identity of the Master of Blue Jeans,” said Véronique Damian of the Galerie Canesso in Paris, adding that evidence still indicates that the artist spent most of his career in Lombardy at the end of the 17th century, although there is reason to believe that he trained elsewhere.
Six months ago, the nearby coastal city of Genoa, which claims to be the home of "jeans" (as in denim brand Blue de Genoa, “Genês” being the department of the first French Empire containing the city), marked its claim with a large exhibition entitled Genova Jeans. “We are ready to host in Genoa an event that will lead to the rediscovery of one of the most famous fabrics and garments in the world, whose origins are inextricably linked to our city,” said the city's mayor, Marco Bucci .

Fashion Apr 25, 2024 0 4 Add to Reading List

Does a mysterious painting prove that blue denim existed about 200 years before Levi's?

The origin of the world's most popular fabric is controversial, as a new exhibition highlights a claim that firmly links denim to 17th-century Italy and traces its history 200 years ago.

Blue denim, this American symbol of informality and a life lived outdoors, is already controversially attributed to the South of the France, while modern denim mythology still holds that Levi Strauss, a German immigrant, had the idea of making work clothes with this durable cotton in San Francisco 150 years ago.

Mother sewing with two children, another work by the

Now a gallery run by international art dealer Maurizio Canesso is appealing for further research to help identify an anonymous person. painter specializing in street scenes often depicting poor people from northern Italy wearing what looks like blue denim.

Gallery Canesso, which has exhibition rooms in major European cities and exhibits in London. fairs, celebrates its 30 years of business in May with a traveling exhibition of the major works it has sold, loaned by their owners.

A centerpiece will be Beggar Woman with Two Children, one of ten paintings by the unknown "Master of Blue Jeans" who, according to Canesso, establishes the roots of the fabric in his native Lombardy.

The central figure in the painting wears what appears to be a frayed denim skirt.

“Unfortunately, we have no new theories on the identity of the Master of Blue Jeans,” said Véronique Damian of the Galerie Canesso in Paris, adding that evidence still indicates that the artist spent most of his career in Lombardy at the end of the 17th century, although there is reason to believe that he trained elsewhere.

Six months ago, the nearby coastal city of Genoa, which claims to be the home of "jeans" (as in denim brand Blue de Genoa, “Genês” being the department of the first French Empire containing the city), marked its claim with a large exhibition entitled Genova Jeans. “We are ready to host in Genoa an event that will lead to the rediscovery of one of the most famous fabrics and garments in the world, whose origins are inextricably linked to our city,” said the city's mayor, Marco Bucci .