The Bruschettini Foundation for Islamic and Asian Art was founded in Genoa in AH 1433/2012 CE as a non-profit institution. It builds upon the ideals and achievements of its founder, Alessandro Bruschettini (AH 1357–1442/1939–2021 CE), a prominent Genoese industrialist, art patron, and collector. The foundation pursues public benefit in the cultural field by promoting knowledge of Islamic and Asian art, particularly in relation to Italian and European art, emphasizing the exchanges that occurred across them. As one of Italy’s major private cultural institutions dedicated to the arts of the East, it also sheds light on Islamic art in Italy, acting as a generator, catalyst, and promoter of initiatives at both museum and academic levels.

The Foundation’s cultural activities include national and international exhibitions, restoration projects, research, publications, conferences, and educational activities with a principal focus on Islamic and Asian Art. Two recent initiatives include a traveling symposium aimed at contextualizing the papal vestments made of “cloth of gold” preserved in San Domenico, Perugia, within the broader artistic, historical, and cultural Eurasian scenario of the time; and the creation of “The Oriental Art Newspaper”, a new page in every issue of the Italian edition of The Art Newspaper that is dedicated to Islamic and Asian Art.

For this edition of AlMadar, the Bruschettini Foundation focuses its presentation on the era of Marco Polo, commemorating the 700th anniversary of the great Venetian traveler’s death. It highlights the paths of gold established by the “Mongol network”, which connected Italy and Asia during this period. These routes fostered the exchange of knowledge and maps, the adoption and adaptation of technologies, and the cultivation of trade and diplomatic gifts across the Eurasian continent.

Robe of cloth of gold with large horses and inscription

The Mongols, like their nomadic ancestors, valued gold for its intrinsic worth as well as its signaling of imperial might, the power of the sun, masculinity, and a lineage that they considered as “golden”, among other qualities. Under Chinggis Khan, they became consumers and patrons of cloth of gold known as nasij (from nasj al-dhahab wa-al-harir, cloth of gold and silk), particularly after the conquests of the major cities of Central Asia and the Middle East between AH 615–52/1219–55 CE, where the technique to produce such material was practiced. Supplementary weft weaving incorporates a decorative layer of threads, forming the design with the appearance of a cloth made entirely of gold. In truth, the gold threads were made by winding flat strips of gilded animal substrate around threads of silk and cotton, extending an ounce of gold to a thread over a thousand kilometers long. This robe would have been worn with trousers for riding, its long sleeves pulled up except for when they were used to protect the hands from the cold.