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Dress

Dress
1700s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Was recorded as a preist's gown in the accession form. Dress of five widths of linen falling from a round gathered neck. The hem and the lower part of the seams decorated with coloured bobbin lace. Wide and exceptionally long sleeves fall from the gathers at the neck band. The bottoms of the sleeves carry the embroidery and are trimmed with gold lace. Embroidery in Cretan feather, double running, outline and chain stiches with some gold thread.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDress
Materials and techniques
Linen embroidered in silks, with bobbin lace. Uses Cretan featherstitch.
Brief description
Dress, white linen embroidered in silk with lace trimmings, Greece (Crete), 1700s.
Physical description
Was recorded as a preist's gown in the accession form. Dress of five widths of linen falling from a round gathered neck. The hem and the lower part of the seams decorated with coloured bobbin lace. Wide and exceptionally long sleeves fall from the gathers at the neck band. The bottoms of the sleeves carry the embroidery and are trimmed with gold lace. Embroidery in Cretan feather, double running, outline and chain stiches with some gold thread.
Dimensions
  • Length: 48in (Note: Measurements are from historical notes and have not been checked.)
  • Width: 42in (Note: Measurements are from historical notes and have not been checked.)
Content description
A border round the bottom of the sleeve contains floral devices, possibly alternating with shrines. Above this on each sleeve is a group of three female figures, possibly depicting a bride and her attendants.
Object history
Acquired in Crete, Greece. A pair of sleeves in the Benaki Museum that correspond to this piece is attributed by them to Crete (Ill. Benaki booklet Pl.4). The sleeves also compare to a sleeve found in the Sandwith Collection, 2017-1876. The edging of bobbin lace at the hem compares to laces in the Sandwith Collection (1907 to 2008 - 1876). This bobbin lace is also similar to that used to join the Cretan skirt borders which make up another object in the V&A Collections, T.711-1950.
Association
Collection
Accession number
2064-1876

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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