"San Marco" pillow

The San Marco pillow is inspired by an example of embroidery by Olga Asta (1880-1963) a very important figure in the history of embroidery and lace in the 20th century. Born in Venice, Olga went to work at a very young age as a shop assistant in a lace firm. She could not sew, either by machine or with needle and thread, but she could draw very well. Her designs were new and appealed to the cosmopolitan public that visited the city, which allowed the young lace designer to open a small workshop in St. Mark's square. An almost immediate success allowed her to expand the business and gave her three shop windows under the archway of the Procuratie Vecchie, where she quickly became an institution not only in the lagoon city but far beyond its borders.