Marta Cucchia

Brozzetti

Weaver

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Passion for Perugian patterns

Marta is the fourth generation of the family business
Her museum-workshop is housed in a 13th-century convent
Her fabrics recapture Medieval patterns and designs

In the Italian region of Umbria, handweaving has ancient roots. The famous Perugia tablecloths were much appreciated throughout Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, and they appear frequently in the paintings of the best artists of the time: from Giotto to Simone Martini, from Ghirlandaio to Leonardo da Vinci. The Giuditta Brozzetti museum-workshop is one of the last ateliers where copies of these magnificent fabrics are still being produced entirely by hand on original hand-operated wooden looms of the 18th and 19th centuries. Marta Cucchia took over the business from her mother in 1995 (the manufacturer was founded in 1921 by her great-grandmother), continuing a feminine tradition that was started centuries ago by Benedictine nuns.

Interview

How did you learn this craft?
I was trained by my mother's weavers and I am also largely self-taught. My great-grandmother Giuditta, my grandmother and my mother were all entrepreneurs: they never approached the practical aspect of this business. I am the first woman in the family to become a weaver.
What types of fabrics do you specialise in?
We create fabrics inspired by Medieval Perugia tablecloths and the damasks of the past. But over the years, I have developed an eclectic and contemporary line characterised by stylistic cross-fertilisations and unprecedented colour combinations.
What do you love most about your craft?
The creative and experimental side. Each new project represents a new path and a new discovery: we start with an idea that evolves in the course of the making. To me, this is the most beautiful job in the world, because I do what I love.
Why did you decide to open a museum?
My mother began to welcome groups of foreigners in our former workshop, and our new location in a 13th-century convent allowed us to also establish a museum. Telling visitors our story and showing how the looms work is one of the most rewarding aspects of my profession.

Marta Cucchia is a master artisan: she began her career in 1994 and she started teaching in 1996