Fine Hand-Painted Italian Linen Table Runner – Foglia

This fascinating design is named foglia – or leaves. And to create this fine hand-painted Italian linen table runner, the artisan uses a complex technique called ‘negative printing’. This involves hand-printing the leaf design onto the linen using a wax. They then hand-paint the colour onto the entire fabric before washing the wax out of the fabric to reveal the leaf design that you see here.

The way the leaves are printed onto this table runner – with carefully considered spaces between each leaf – has allowed a successful combination of the leaves of different trees. As well as introducing an intriguing variety into the design, this also enables the artisan to give each table runner an entirely unique design of its own.

Handcrafted from a carefully selected, pure organic crumpled linen, woven in the traditional way on a shuttle loom – this table runner is perfectly suited to a relaxed lunch with friends, or a more formal dining occasion for other guests.

“Viewing life as it is, finding the instincts, dreams and longings we share in common,” says Charlotte Hjorth-Rohde, the Danish graphic designer and photographer who created l’heure bleue (the blue hour) design exclusively for AllÓRA.

Charlotte spent months in the workshop of Stamperia Bertozzi, the master artisan print house in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. There, Charlotte was taught the art of hand printing. “It is more than just banging on a block of wood,” explains Charlotte. “It is a feeling that you transmit when you print – each time different. That’s why each piece is unique.”

The Bertozzi family have used traditional printing techniques since 1920, hand-carving blocks of pear wood to produce the stamps they use to print designs onto fabric. They handmix the rich and vibrant colours that you see here – just as they have always done.

Variations in finish or appearance are not considered imperfections, but are the mark of a unique handmade item.

Discover the passion that Stamperia Bertozzi invest in every one of their creations.

We will be very happy to help you with any queries you may have.