Artisan Details: Silk Art Scarves
What artisan details can you appreciate in a handmade silk scarf?
Original Art
Each scarf begins with a commission: Moutonière invites contemporary artists from around the world to create an original painting, asking only that it include our signature sheep motif and one color from the Moutonière house palette. You can hear directly from the artists about their inspirations in video interviews on our website.
Historical Craftsmanship
Crafted in Como, Italy—the historic heart of silk production and silk screening—by the third generation of a family of silk experts. Even the tags are sewn on by hand in Como.
Engraved Screens & Artisan Screen Printing
Master engravers create and cut dozens of screens, each corresponding to a single color in the original painting. These screens are applied one by one to the silk, with precise alignment and calibrated pressure, carefully replicating the artist’s original work.
Custom Color Blending & Application
Colors are custom-mixed to match the original painting, then applied in layers to achieve depth and translucency—seen most vividly in the gossamer wings of the bee in Moutonière’s iconic Duffy scarf. Poorly done, silk screening resembles a spray-paint stencil; done well, it reveals breathtaking depth and nuance, magnified by silk’s natural sheen.
Fine Silk Twill
We use only high-quality silk twill, selected for its ideal weight, fluid drape, and exceptional ability to absorb and reflect rich dyes. A great silk scarf feels cool and liquid to the touch, with luminous color and a soft matte finish. It ties easily, holds its shape, and glides through clasps or rings without pulling or bunching.
Hand-Rolled Edges
Finished by hand with pure silk thread, rolled edges lend both durability and grace. Placement of the roll—on the front or back—adds a subtle design signature appreciated by connoisseurs: a roll on the front frames the artwork, while a back roll creates a seamless waterfall effect. Either way, the stitching is fine, even, and color-matched.
Design Visibility on Both Sides
The brilliance and clarity of the design on the reverse side nearly match the front, a mark of superior dye penetration and printing precision. Because many styling options reveal both sides of a scarf, this double-sided beauty matters.
Limited, Numbered Editions & Provenance
Each scarf is produced in an exclusive, numbered edition. A signed certificate indicates your scarf’s unique edition number, and our archival records allow us to trace every piece back to its original sale date, location, and owner—ensuring provenance and enhancing collectibility.
Tag Design
In the lower right corner, a discreet, sewn-in tag features the Moutonière double shepherd’s crook “M” logo on one side and the edition number on the other. This tag is integrated directly into the scarf—not dangling—so it never disrupts the silhouette. By contrast, the care tag is lightly sewn and designed for easy removal.
Artistic Versatility & Signature Motif
Every artist was asked to incorporate the Moutonière sheep motif and a color from our house palette—ensuring cohesion across the collection. But beyond that, creative freedom reigns. The resulting scarves span a range of realism, surrealism, abstraction, and palettes, allowing collectors to find the perfect piece for an outfit, a mood, or a wall.
Heirloom Quality
Timeless by design, Moutonière scarves are made to be treasured—worn today, framed tomorrow, passed on as heirlooms.
Moutonière silk art scarves embody the vision at the heart of our house: artists and artisans united to create enduring beauty for modern patrons.
This new series, Artisan Details, will spotlight the finer points our artists and craftspeople obsess over—so next time you pick up a scarf, you’ll know exactly what to look for.
— Mouton Noir