Dress Fabric thumbnail 1
Dress Fabric thumbnail 2
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Dress Fabric

ca. 1710 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This fanciful design uses a mixture of Indian, European and Chinese elements. The end result is typical of the Chinoiserie style popular in Britain in the 18th century, and in particular reflects the popularity of the so-called 'bizarre' silks woven in France between about 1700 and 1720. These are characterised by exotic designs like this one, often incorporating imaginary architectural features or shapes, with a strong diagonal direction to the repeating pattern.

This chain-stitch embroidery is typical of the very fine work done by professional male embroiderers in Gujarat in western India, who produced the finest quality embroideries for both the Mughal court and the Western market.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton embroidered with silk threads
Brief description
Dress fabric of embroidered cotton in silks, Gujarat, ca. 1710
Physical description
Dress fabric of embroidered cotton in silks in chain-stitch and with a design of flowers, fruits, birds and architectural elements. The design is repeated twice in every width.
Dimensions
  • Top edge width: 1060mm
  • Bottom edge width: 1060mm
  • Proper right length: 2185mm
  • Proper left length: 2225mm
Summary
This fanciful design uses a mixture of Indian, European and Chinese elements. The end result is typical of the Chinoiserie style popular in Britain in the 18th century, and in particular reflects the popularity of the so-called 'bizarre' silks woven in France between about 1700 and 1720. These are characterised by exotic designs like this one, often incorporating imaginary architectural features or shapes, with a strong diagonal direction to the repeating pattern.

This chain-stitch embroidery is typical of the very fine work done by professional male embroiderers in Gujarat in western India, who produced the finest quality embroideries for both the Mughal court and the Western market.
Bibliographic references
  • Indian embroidery / Rosemary Crill ; photography by Richard Davis. London: V&A Publications, 1999 Number: 185177310X, 1851772944 (pbk.) p. 25, cat. no. 3.
  • Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
Accession number
T.20-1947

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Record createdDecember 23, 2003
Record URL
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