Leather Panel
ca. 1855 (made), ca. 1840 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This panel is one of a series (Museum nos. 3703 to 3706-1856) which shows stages in the manufacture of decorative leather hangings. This panel shows an intermediate stage, after the damp leather has been pressed into a mould to create the relief decoration, the background painted brown and parts of the relief decoration have been covered in silver-coloured metal foil, varnished to give the appearance of gold leaf. Such leather panels are often called 'gilt leather', although no actual gilding is involved.
The panels were made in about 1855 by the French firm of Jacques Michel Dulud, who exhibited them at the Paris International Exhibition in that year, but they may have been designed as much as fifteen years earlier. The firm often designed in historic styles, which were particularly fashionable at the time. The panels were intended to be used for wall hangings or for upholstery.
The panels were made in about 1855 by the French firm of Jacques Michel Dulud, who exhibited them at the Paris International Exhibition in that year, but they may have been designed as much as fifteen years earlier. The firm often designed in historic styles, which were particularly fashionable at the time. The panels were intended to be used for wall hangings or for upholstery.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 4 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Embossed and gilded leather |
| Brief description | Leather panel with varnished foil relief decoration on dark brown, Jacques Michel Dulud, Paris, designed ca. 1840, made ca. 1855 |
| Physical description | A leather panel moulded with an overall design of curving leafy scrolls in Gothic Revival style, entwined with ivy and morning glory, the main scrolls bearing pairs of flowers in each ogee-shaped reserve, including poppies, buttercup and a hanging snowdrop-like flower, all appearing to grow from different elements of the same continuous stems. This panel shows an intermediate stage in the creation of leather panels, with only the background coloured in brown paint and some of the relief areas foiled and varnished to give the appearance of gilding, with some areas left unvarnished and appearing as silver. The panel is now in four pieces. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Purchased by the Museum for £ 1.0.0 from the 1855 International Exhibition in Paris ('Exposition Universelle, Paris 1855', see Third Report of Department of Science and Art for 1855', pages 67, 80. Identical to V&A Museum no's 3703a-1856, 3704a-1856, 3704b-1856, 3704c-1856, 3705-1856. Part of the original panel has been offered as a gift to the Museum of Leathercraft' (RP 63/2556). This design of stamped leather, in different colourways, are illustrated in Jean-Pierre Fournet, Cuirs Dorées, "Cuirs de Courdoue", un art Européen (Château de Saint-Remy-en-l'Eau: Editions Monelle Hayot, 2019), p. 303 |
| Production | 'Cuirs Dulud' workshop, 14 rue Vivienne, Paris. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This panel is one of a series (Museum nos. 3703 to 3706-1856) which shows stages in the manufacture of decorative leather hangings. This panel shows an intermediate stage, after the damp leather has been pressed into a mould to create the relief decoration, the background painted brown and parts of the relief decoration have been covered in silver-coloured metal foil, varnished to give the appearance of gold leaf. Such leather panels are often called 'gilt leather', although no actual gilding is involved. The panels were made in about 1855 by the French firm of Jacques Michel Dulud, who exhibited them at the Paris International Exhibition in that year, but they may have been designed as much as fifteen years earlier. The firm often designed in historic styles, which were particularly fashionable at the time. The panels were intended to be used for wall hangings or for upholstery. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 3704 to C-1856 |
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| Record created | February 20, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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