Not currently on display at the V&A

Dress Fabric

ca. 1925 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Wiener Werkstätte textile department designed this printed silk dress fabric about 1925. The Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop) was a guild of designers and craftsmen who came together with the idea of furthering the work and ideals of the Viennese Secession. It was founded by the architect Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956) and the designer Koloman Moser (1868-1918). The organisation manufactured a range of interior furnishings for the luxury goods market between 1903 and 1932. These were both handmade and industrially manufactured. The textile department opened in 1900. Its 80 members produced about 1,800 designs, mainly for printed fabrics for furnishings and apparel. The textiles were characterised by simplified forms and vivid colours. These were derived from Eastern European peasant art and geometric motifs in contemporary painting. They were an important influence on Art Deco ornamentation.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Black-printed silk
Brief description
Dress fabric of block-printed silk, designed by Wiener Werkstätte, Vienna, ca. 1925
Physical description
Dress fabric of block-printed silk with zigzags, flowers, swirls and arrowheads in brown, white and grey on a black ground.
Dimensions
  • Length: 87cm
  • Width: 21cm
Credit line
Given by Miss B. Sander
Object history
Registered File number 1985/2176.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The Wiener Werkstätte textile department designed this printed silk dress fabric about 1925. The Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop) was a guild of designers and craftsmen who came together with the idea of furthering the work and ideals of the Viennese Secession. It was founded by the architect Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956) and the designer Koloman Moser (1868-1918). The organisation manufactured a range of interior furnishings for the luxury goods market between 1903 and 1932. These were both handmade and industrially manufactured. The textile department opened in 1900. Its 80 members produced about 1,800 designs, mainly for printed fabrics for furnishings and apparel. The textiles were characterised by simplified forms and vivid colours. These were derived from Eastern European peasant art and geometric motifs in contemporary painting. They were an important influence on Art Deco ornamentation.
Bibliographic reference
Samuels, Charlotte. Art Deco Textiles. London : V&A Publications, 2003, pl. 5.
Collection
Accession number
T.22-1986

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Record createdAugust 7, 2002
Record URL
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