ASTRA CODEX: DANIELE DAVITTI’S TEXTILE ZODIAC AT PALAZZO CAPPONI IN FLORENCE
The Istituto de’ Bardi reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding and promoting craftsmanship with a new exhibition project devoted to contemporary textile art practices. On view at the historic Palazzo Capponi, Via de’ Michelozzi 2 in Florence, through June 14, 2026, Astra Codex is a solo exhibition by Daniele Davitti curated by Lavinia Pini and presented under the patronage of the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte. The initiative is part of the Institute’s broader program aimed at fostering dialogue between technical tradition, artistic research, and linguistic innovation.
At the core of the project is a cycle of twelve textile panels dedicated to the zodiac signs, conceived as a fully embroidered symbolic atlas. Rather than reproducing conventional iconography, Davitti reinterprets each sign through precise references to Florence’s artistic and architectural heritage, transforming decorative, sculptural, and pictorial details into anthropomorphic figures shaped by multiple cultural and aesthetic sources. The result is an image-based narrative that weaves together cosmology, urban history, and formal invention.
Each panel is entirely hand-embroidered using white and gold threads on antique fabrics dyed in antique pink tones by artisans Valentina and Laura Fiorini of the Ratafià workshop. The surfaces are further enriched with freshwater pearls, micro glass beads, and crystals, enhancing both luminosity and material depth. Davitti combines the distinctive elements of his technical vocabulary – satin stitch, long and short stitch, cord stitch, and French knots – building layered textures and relief effects that turn the textile support into a stratified narrative and perceptual field.
The exhibition route also includes a section devoted to the making process. A selection of preparatory drawings and a making-of video directed by Lapo Quagli document the working procedures and technical solutions adopted in the creation of the series, allowing visitors to follow the development of each figure from initial graphic concept to embroidered work and final piece.
The series stems from the artist’s interest in astrological tradition and from the longstanding connection between Florence and celestial studies, a field that for centuries has involved patronage, iconographic programs, and decorative schemes. The twelve signs are linked to specific places and artworks across the city – churches, palaces, bridges, museums, and gardens – activated as visual and symbolic matrices. From the solstitial meridian at San Miniato al Monte to Ammannati’s Fountain of Neptune, from frescoed vaults and sculptural groups to Renaissance loggias, Davitti updates historical motifs within a contemporary textile language. Each panel stands as an autonomous astrological “summa” while also serving as a tribute to a precise point in Florence’s artistic topography.
The project closely reflects the mission of the Istituto de’ Bardi, which focuses on enhancing artistic and craft heritage, supporting professional training and visibility for sector operators, and developing cultural initiatives that connect technical memory with experimentation. In this perspective, the exhibition presents Florence not only as a place of preservation but as an active laboratory where art history and manual practices continue to generate new expressive forms.
Complementing the exhibition is a cycle of thematic talks, all scheduled at 6:00 pm, exploring the conceptual themes of Astra Codex and the relationship between decorative arts, iconography, and textile culture. The program opens on February 12 with Under the Sign of Time. Iconographies of the Yearly Cycle and the Zodiac in European Art between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, presented by fashion and costume scholar Sara Paci Piccolo, who addresses the subject through painting, sculpture, and embroidery. On February 19, Adriana Armanni, President of the Corporazione delle Arti, discusses William Morris and his influence on the fiber arts between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. On March 4, a conversation with Daniele Davitti and Valentina and Laura Fiorini of the Ratafià workshop focuses on the relationship between artistic design and craft practice. On March 26, Armanni returns with a lecture on Women in Embroidery between the 19th and 20th Centuries, dedicated to the history and female contribution to a field often overlooked by historiography. The series concludes on April 10 with the presentation of Beatrice Balducci’s book Il punto Tavarnelle. O il lavoro sul foglio. Storia, memoria e tecnica (Leonardo Libri), introduced by journalist Maria Pilar Lebole, head of the Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte project at Fondazione CR Firenze.
Admission to the exhibition is free during the Institute’s activities or by appointment via segreteria@istitutodebardi.org. Due to limited seating, advance booking is also required for related events.
Born in Florence in 1986, Daniele Davitti trained in Fashion Design at Polimoda and continued his studies at the Bunka Fashion College in Osaka, developing an aesthetic approach grounded in essential forms and respect for materials. After exhibiting in Italy and abroad – with solo and group shows including Immaculate Decay in New York and the retrospective Mortalia Cura in Italy – he worked across painting, drawing, and collage before focusing exclusively on textile art and embroidery from 2019 onward. In 2024 he was selected for the Contextile Biennale in Guimarães, Portugal, and is listed in the Homo Faber Guide as an embroidery artist.
