Dress Fabric
1734-1735 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This fabric is a brocaded silk and was intended for ladies' gowns. The technique of brocading allowed different colours to be introduced into the pattern of a fabric in specific, sometimes very small areas. It was a more laborious process for the weaver than using patterning wefts running from selvedge to selvedge, but the resulting effect could be much more varied and lively.
Design & Designing
Dress silks from France had dominated fashionable taste across Europe since the later 17th century. Designers for the English silk industry observed French trends and followed their developments in design and technique, adapting them to a recognisable English style for the home and important export market. In the first half of the 18th century, the cut and construction of women's dresses changed relatively little, and a lady of fashion would show how up-to-date she was with the pattern she chose for the silk of her gown. The striking motif in this silk of an out-of-scale tree growing on an island first appeared in French silks of the early 1730s, and was being incorporated by English designers and sold by London mercers soon after.
This fabric is a brocaded silk and was intended for ladies' gowns. The technique of brocading allowed different colours to be introduced into the pattern of a fabric in specific, sometimes very small areas. It was a more laborious process for the weaver than using patterning wefts running from selvedge to selvedge, but the resulting effect could be much more varied and lively.
Design & Designing
Dress silks from France had dominated fashionable taste across Europe since the later 17th century. Designers for the English silk industry observed French trends and followed their developments in design and technique, adapting them to a recognisable English style for the home and important export market. In the first half of the 18th century, the cut and construction of women's dresses changed relatively little, and a lady of fashion would show how up-to-date she was with the pattern she chose for the silk of her gown. The striking motif in this silk of an out-of-scale tree growing on an island first appeared in French silks of the early 1730s, and was being incorporated by English designers and sold by London mercers soon after.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Brocaded silk panel, 1734-1735, Spitalfields, colourful floral pattern on a white ribbed ground |
| Physical description | Brocaded silk panel with a colourful floral pattern on a white ribbed ground. Thw repeating patterns consists of green trees, with large blue and red flowers, and bowls of small blue, red, and pink flowers |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
The design of this silk includes one of the most popular motifs in patterned textiles of the 1730s. A tree is growing on an island, with strange outsize flowers, in a large-scale, bold effect. This fashion came from France and was quickly adopted by Spitalfields designers.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Woven in Spitalfields, London |
| Summary | Object Type This fabric is a brocaded silk and was intended for ladies' gowns. The technique of brocading allowed different colours to be introduced into the pattern of a fabric in specific, sometimes very small areas. It was a more laborious process for the weaver than using patterning wefts running from selvedge to selvedge, but the resulting effect could be much more varied and lively. Design & Designing Dress silks from France had dominated fashionable taste across Europe since the later 17th century. Designers for the English silk industry observed French trends and followed their developments in design and technique, adapting them to a recognisable English style for the home and important export market. In the first half of the 18th century, the cut and construction of women's dresses changed relatively little, and a lady of fashion would show how up-to-date she was with the pattern she chose for the silk of her gown. The striking motif in this silk of an out-of-scale tree growing on an island first appeared in French silks of the early 1730s, and was being incorporated by English designers and sold by London mercers soon after. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.99-1912 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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