Not currently on display at the V&A

Perino

Furnishing Fabric
1860s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This Jacquard woven silk furnishing fabric was manufactured in the 1860s by Daniel Walters & Son, a silk weaving firm in Spitalfields, London. The design, entitled 'Perino', shows a head with hair and a beard made of leaves, surrounded by foliage and scrollwork, typical of the so-called 'grotesque' style, a type of ancient Roman decoration rediscovered during the Renaissance.

In 1856 Owen Jones's the Grammar of Ornament was published, an analysis of patterns and colours from many periods and cultures. The book became an invaluable source for designers who, like Jones, believed that reproducing flowers and similar objects in a naturalistic way was in bad taste and who preferred to employ stylised motifs.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePerino (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Jacquard woven silk
Brief description
Furnishing fabric 'Perino' of Jacquard woven silk, manufactured by Daniel Walters & Sons, Spitalfields, London, 1860s
Physical description
Furnishing fabric of Jacquard woven silk. On a black satin ground is a woven an elaborate grotesque design in creamy-yellow shaded by a deep pink. The scrolling design includes a satyr-mask of leaves, cornucopia of fruit, reeds, ears of corn, torches, butterflies and ropes of beads. The design is bound in 3/1 twill. The repeat fills the whole height of the piece.
Dimensions
  • Length: 121.5cm
  • Width: 53.5cm
  • Length: 47.75in
  • Width: 21.06in
  • Between selvedges width: 20.68in
  • Between selvedges width: 52.6cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • '23745 [underlined] / 83182' (Registry number, on a W&S label stuck on the back)
  • Transliteration
    .
Credit line
Given by Warner & Sons Ltd
Summary
This Jacquard woven silk furnishing fabric was manufactured in the 1860s by Daniel Walters & Son, a silk weaving firm in Spitalfields, London. The design, entitled 'Perino', shows a head with hair and a beard made of leaves, surrounded by foliage and scrollwork, typical of the so-called 'grotesque' style, a type of ancient Roman decoration rediscovered during the Renaissance.

In 1856 Owen Jones's the Grammar of Ornament was published, an analysis of patterns and colours from many periods and cultures. The book became an invaluable source for designers who, like Jones, believed that reproducing flowers and similar objects in a naturalistic way was in bad taste and who preferred to employ stylised motifs.
Bibliographic reference
Parry, Linda. British Textiles from 1850 to 1900 London : Victoria and Albert Museum 1993. Plate 59.
Collection
Accession number
T.133-1972

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Record createdDecember 18, 2003
Record URL
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