Not currently on display at the V&A

Furnishing Fabric

1840-1850 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Furnishing fabric of woven silk. The ground is of pink shot silk, a tabby weave with pink silk warp and cream silk weft. On this is a design of sprays and swags of leaves and flowers all boldly tiger-striped in maroon and cream with a background pattern of swirls of cream and maroon spots. There are two panels of silk joined vertically. On each of these the thick branches or swags of these peculiar flowers form a border running along the inner, upper and lower edges. The central area of each panel, with the spaced bunches of striped flowers on the ground of swirling dots has been cut short at what are now the outer sides of the joined panel. There are no selvedges apparent on the silk, as all the edges are cut and hemmed.

It is possible that the border once ran all round a piece of silk woven to shape as a coverlet 5 inches wide, in which case the cream silk is the warp and the pink the weft while the pattern is formed by additional warp threads.

The pattern threads are left flush on the surface for the pattern and flush on the back where neither is required. Where one is flush on the surface, the other is bound on the back. At the edges of the pattern area, the flush threads on the back are cut away.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Woven silk
Brief description
Furnishing fabric of woven silk England, 1840-1850
Physical description
Furnishing fabric of woven silk. The ground is of pink shot silk, a tabby weave with pink silk warp and cream silk weft. On this is a design of sprays and swags of leaves and flowers all boldly tiger-striped in maroon and cream with a background pattern of swirls of cream and maroon spots. There are two panels of silk joined vertically. On each of these the thick branches or swags of these peculiar flowers form a border running along the inner, upper and lower edges. The central area of each panel, with the spaced bunches of striped flowers on the ground of swirling dots has been cut short at what are now the outer sides of the joined panel. There are no selvedges apparent on the silk, as all the edges are cut and hemmed.

It is possible that the border once ran all round a piece of silk woven to shape as a coverlet 5 inches wide, in which case the cream silk is the warp and the pink the weft while the pattern is formed by additional warp threads.

The pattern threads are left flush on the surface for the pattern and flush on the back where neither is required. Where one is flush on the surface, the other is bound on the back. At the edges of the pattern area, the flush threads on the back are cut away.
Dimensions
  • Length: 62.25in
  • Width: 58in
Credit line
Given by the Abbeyfield Ivybridge Society
Collection
Accession number
T.66-1968

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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