One of the fundamental types of textile weaves, in which each thread of the warp alternates over and under the weft, determining a uniform, compact textile, without a front or a back. Support among which is most commonly used in modern times for painting, to the point in which it has become a synonym of the painting itself. In Italy, the canvas as a support becomes diffused during the end of the 15th century, particularly in Venice and from there, in all of Europe, thanks to its lightness, its good value and its flexibility compared to the more traditional wooden supports. Linen and hemp are the fabrics most commonly utilized, and less often cotton and jute. Giorgio Vasari (1568) notes: "because painting on canvas has seemed easy and convenient it has been adopted for not only small pictures that can be carried about, but also for altarpieces and other important compositions... Consequently, where the panels are not sufficiently large they are replaced by canvases on account of the size and convenience of the latter."