Simone Massoni, THE LINEN ROOM
In Bonvesin’s text, raw materials and how to cook them are given ample space. Among these, there is one plant to which he devotes particular attention: linen.
This choice has a value both from a rhetorical point of view, as it allows the author to show off his writing skills in an arduous paragraph, and from a content point of view, because Bonvesin emphasises the versatility of linen, which can be used not only as a foodstuff.
«And I will also say (and this will appear admirable to those who understand): oil, even the improperly called compound oil, in some places in our fields is formed on broad beans. In addition, tablecloths are sometimes made under the tripods and plates, or on top of the tablecloths, various kinds of dishes are made; oil is also made in abundance, with the help of which, in the winter season, the tablecloths are spun in the spinning wheel, then placed in the spinning wheel, then in the skein and finally woven».
Simone Massoni has restored this layering by creating a pattern printed on several tablecloths, which render the levels on which Bonvesin’s description is placed. An icon on each of the fabrics summarises the reasoning behind it: a cruet of oil, a spinning wheel and a flower.
Posted on: 28 October 2021, by : Alessandro Ulleri