Doublet
1600-1610 (made), 1870-1895 (altered)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Man’s doublet of green silk uncut and voided velvet woven in a pattern of horizontal bands of wavy lines alternating with floral sprigs. The doublet is reinforced with baleen and stiffened canvas, padded and quilted with wool and lined with changeable (shot) green and yellow silk taffeta. It has narrow shoulder wings and curving 2-piece sleeves. Green silk and silver-gilt woven lace, ¼-inch (5 mm) wide, edges the front opening and decorates the shoulder wings. There are 32 worked buttonholes down the left front and seven on each sleeve, fastened with ⅜-inch (7 mm) diameter buttons of green silk and silver-gilt filè, only 18 remain. The waist is bound with 1-inch (2.5 cm) green silk grosgrain ribbon, which also forms the belt loops. Five eyelets were worked in each lap, except the two at centre front, which have one. There is a lacing loop of green silk inside each front at the waistline.
The doublet was altered, probably in the late 19th century for fancy dress. It originally had a ‘grown-on’ collar (cut in one piece with the back), which was removed and the neck edge coarsely stitched closed. There were 13 laps at the waist originally; one at the right front is now missing.
The doublet was altered, probably in the late 19th century for fancy dress. It originally had a ‘grown-on’ collar (cut in one piece with the back), which was removed and the neck edge coarsely stitched closed. There were 13 laps at the waist originally; one at the right front is now missing.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Silk, wool, linen, silver, gold; hand-weaving, velvet weave, silver-gilt lace, hand-sewn |
Brief description | Man's doublet, 1600-10, English; Green velvet, Italian, altered 1870-1895 |
Physical description | Man’s doublet of green silk uncut and voided velvet woven in a pattern of horizontal bands of wavy lines alternating with floral sprigs. The doublet is reinforced with baleen and stiffened canvas, padded and quilted with wool and lined with changeable (shot) green and yellow silk taffeta. It has narrow shoulder wings and curving 2-piece sleeves. Green silk and silver-gilt woven lace, ¼-inch (5 mm) wide, edges the front opening and decorates the shoulder wings. There are 32 worked buttonholes down the left front and seven on each sleeve, fastened with ⅜-inch (7 mm) diameter buttons of green silk and silver-gilt filè, only 18 remain. The waist is bound with 1-inch (2.5 cm) green silk grosgrain ribbon, which also forms the belt loops. Five eyelets were worked in each lap, except the two at centre front, which have one. There is a lacing loop of green silk inside each front at the waistline. The doublet was altered, probably in the late 19th century for fancy dress. It originally had a ‘grown-on’ collar (cut in one piece with the back), which was removed and the neck edge coarsely stitched closed. There were 13 laps at the waist originally; one at the right front is now missing. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | Isham collection |
Bibliographic reference | Claire Thornton, ‘Green silk velvet doublet, in 17th-Century Men’s Dress Patterns, 1600-1630, by Melanie Braun et al. Thames & Hudson and V&A Museum, 2016, pp.26-47 |
Collection | |
Accession number | 183-1900 |
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Record created | June 24, 2009 |
Record URL |
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