Yellow silk damask curtain, possibly Italian, French or woven in Spitalfields, London. About 1710.

Yellow silk damask curtain with a point repeat pattern. The weave is damask based on a satin of 5 with the design in reverse satin on a warp-faced satin ground. The salvage consists of cut, red and white satin stripes. There are three panels in the width of the curtain. The main feature of the design in each panel is a large flower resembling a sunflower sprouting from an ornamental vase. The vase is supported on a table whose legs descend to form exotic leaves which curl up and flank the vase. Below the table is a cartouche formed by exotic floral motifs and the lowest part of the design consists of two very large leaves curling towards the centre of the silk. The design is typical of the period.

Given by David Style

Registered File number 1963/126. From a bed formerly at Leeds Castle, Kent. Probably made in Italy or France, but possibly woven in Spitalfields, London. Work began on restoration on August 8th 1963, where the damaged places were first backed with muslin which was tacked into place to help hold the object together while in the water. In was then immersed in cold water supported on the fine mesh reach of the ashing table, with an additional length of coarse nylon net to make the panel easier to move. It was then left to soak. The water was changed once during the afternoon and the object left to drain overnight. The next morning it was immersed in warm water and Lissapol (10 oz Lissapol to an initial 30 galls. (approx.) or water) and left to soak once more. When the time came to agitate the material to remove specific stains an extra 20 gallons was added to float it off the surface of the rack. It was then rinsed as thoroughly as possible in ordinary water, drained and spread out over the weekend. On the following Monday morning it was rinsed thoroughly in distilled water and spread out flat to dry once more. As the panel dried an attempt was made to straighten the broken strands of the weft as much as possible.

The net was treated, in the usual manner, with P.V.A.6515 (3 coats) and applied to the back of the damask. On the back of the net, behind the damaged places, a suitably coloured silk was applied, and the loose weft on the upper surface couched down upon it.

The work was finished on September 23rd 1963.

The Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York has a Chinese export silk 1902-1914, which appears to be a version of part of this design.

There are three inventories dating from 1689, 1710 and 1719 of Leeds Castle in the Kent Archives office at Maidstone (Wykeham Martin MSS, V.23, E.5, E.7, E.11; photostat copies in Department of Textiles). The yellow silk damask bed does not appear in the two earlier inventories. In the 'Damask Room', there was on each occasion 'one old damask bed'. In the inventory of 1719 in the 'Damask Room', there was 'One Bedstead blew curtains lined with yellow, on feather (etc.)...silk quilt'. Old silk curtains are mentioned in other parts of the house. It seems that the yellow bed was purchased after 9th November, 1710 and before 9th June, 1719 by Thomas, Lord fairfax. There were no bills for this silk in the family papaers. According to the donor, there were no 'blew' curtains or any trace of blue silk when he bought the bed.

This panel formed part of the hangings of a half-tester bed formerly at Leeds Castle, Kent. The castle had previously been in the family of Mr. Wykham Martin for nearly three hundred years until its sale in 1927.

Object Type
This silk damask curtain formed part of the hangings of a half-tester bed, that is one with a canopy supported on brackets from posts at the head. The bed was made for Leeds Castle, in Kent. Metal thread had been an important component of grand furnishings in the 17th century, but by the beginning of the 18th century damasks and velvets had become the luxury materials of choice. This reflected the development of upholstery, for which metal thread was impractical.

Time
The pattern of the damask, with stylised floral motifs and a huge sunflower in a vase, is typical for the period around 1710. Furnishing fabrics were generally less affected than dress fabrics by rapidly changing fashions, but this silk would have been very much in the current taste of the time, with its combination of semi-naturalistic large-scale plant forms and curious abstract shapes.

The large majority of high quality furnishing silks were imported from Italy and France in this period, but some were woven in Spitalfields, and this damask could be English. A very similar version of it exists (at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York City). It was probably woven in China for export to Europe, suggesting that the pattern was fashionable enough to be sent abroad for copying.

T.27-1963