Maria Monaci Gallenga

Maria Monaci Gallenga was born in Rome in 1880.[1] Born into a prominent family of academics, as a young girl she was fascinated with history and particularly in medieval and Renaissance Italian art history.[2] In 1903 she married Peter Gallenga,[3] a professor at the University of Rome.[4]

Gallenga started designing and making textiles and clothing in 1914 out of a studio in Florence.[3] She often exhibited her designs in art exhibitions.[3] These designs combined a unique mixture of old world motifs, such as heavy velvet and medieval patterns, with more modern 1920s silhouettes.[4] Gallenga also had a flair for theatricality and designed many cloaks and capes.[3] In 1923, Gallenga was awarded a Silver Medal at the Monza design exhibition.[3] In 1928, Gallenga co-founded the Boutique Italienne in Paris with the designers Bice Pittoni and Carla Visconti di Modrone.[3]

In line with her passion for history, many of her textile pattern titles reference medieval and Renaissance history. For example, the "Mona Tessa" is a reference to the mother of Beatrice Portinari, the muse of Dante Alighieri.[5]

Gallenga died in 1944 in Italy.[3]

Gallenga's work can be found in a number of public institutions, including:

• Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco[1]
• RISD Museum[6]
• Philadelphia Museum of Art[7]
• Victoria and Albert Museum[8]
• Art Institute of Chicago[9]
• Metropolitan Museum of Art[10]
• Ulster Museum[11]