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< back to the BELMAL News index                                                                BELMAL NEWS JANUARY 2015

The Belmal chequered canvas, a story still to be published         

The photo shown at the right, taken in Venice, Italy, in February  2009, depicts JP Bal, BelMal's master-maletier, taking part in the city's Carnival festivities. He wears a costume made of a fabric with the antique gold and king's blue chequered pattern. Initially called "Gonzague" it became the prototype of the BelMal damier. 

From historical research undertaken thereafter, the pattern and colours' combination proved to be more than 950 years old. The canvas was then renamed into "Year 1057". More recently the dating was determined with highest accuracy and supporting proof, namely to the year 1117. The BelMal damier colour pattern is also the BelMal logo. 

An exposé of this amazing storyboard about a pattern that has survived the centuries, and about the meaning of the two colours, will be found in a forthcoming issue of the Belmal News.  

See also: the subsequent newswire Egypt.  

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© Copyright 2015-2021, OGISPES o.b.o. BELMAL Museum and Trunks Restoration, BELMAL Malletier, Ecole des Malletiers ITES Institute for Travel  Equipment and Luggage History Studies, and Belmal Malletier. All rights reserved.  Update: 2021-04-29