Depero's (1892-1960) works in textiles, which he first referred to as tappeti and arazzi, then quadri in stoffa, or cloth mosaics, were born out of his experimentation with fabrics while he designed the sets and costumes for the Ballet Russes in Rome. His designs for the unrealized 1916 production of The Song of the Nightingale and Costume per Mandarino utilized paper and fabrics. Serge Diaghilev, the founder of the Ballet Russes sourced vibrant Spanish wool, which inspired Depero and his wife, Rosetta Amadori to make large tapestries. They opened Depero's workshop and showroom, Casa d'Arte futurista, in Rovereto in June 1919 with a mission to fulfill the aesthetic and philosophical aspects of Futurism through tactile objects and consumer goods. The tapestries, handsewn by Amadori and a team of four seamstresses from Depero's patterns, were followed by advertising materials, furniture, shawls, costumes, and lamps. Each item was designed by Depero and sought to elevate handicraft. Pre-dating the Arte Provera movement by nearly half a century, Depero understood that he could realize a work of significance in any media, elevating it to the same heightened status of paintings on canvas. As Depero himself stressed during his "Depero e la sua Casa d'Arte," the 1921 exhibition in Milan, the quadri in stoffa were not secondary to Depero's paintings, but considered a vital part of his fine art œuvre.
The first large scale tapestry, Cavalcata fantastica was commissioned by the publisher Umberto Notari in 1920 and successfully proved the concept of Casa d'Arte futurista in providing a brilliantly colored, tactile work of art. Patterns for the smaller works, like the current lot, may have been used in "editions" of only several, with different color variations; each work was considered unique.
The birth of Casa d'Arte futurista coincided with a demand for experimental, mixed media arts, which included textiles, long considered too feminine to be regarded as fine art. According to Virginia Gardner Troy, in her article "Stitching Modernity: The Textile Work of Fortunato Depero" which appeared in Italian Modern Art, January 2019, Depero and Amadori would have been aware of early examples of traditional intarsia and cloth patchwork, as well as European and Russian folk art. Depero had worked as a stone mason and sculptor during his early career. Pieced wool banners were traditionally created as a magnum opus for tailors, and the repurposing of felted wool military uniforms was commonplace. Felted wool, in particular is soft, resistant to fraying, lightweight, nondirectional, and retains dye.
Depero, Casa d'Arte Futurista exhibited at the leading decorative art exhibitions, including the 1st International Exhibition of Decorative Art in Monza, and in Paris in 1925 (under the name Maison d'Art futuristse Deprero). When Depero resided in New York from 1928 to 1930, the operation, now shrunk to the artist, his wife, and their sewing machine, was renamed Depero's Futuristic House.
With the onset of World War II, Depero closed the Rovereto workshop and ceased the Casa d'Arte's production. The site now serves as a museum devoted to Depero and Italian Futurism.
