During the early fifteenth century, European velvet design was largely characterized by the use of voided patterns formed where the pile was absent. In the second half of the century, technical innovations led to the production of increasingly complex velvets in which the richness of design and texture were achieved through the use of different heights of cut pile and of supplementary metal threads. In this example, the broad meandering vine and the stylized foliage are woven in metal-wrapped thread with some details in raised loops to give even greater tactile effect.