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Waistcoat Part thumbnail 2
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Waistcoat Part

1760-1769 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Silver-gilt buttons fasten this 1760s woman’s riding waistcoat of eye-catching bright pink silk. Each button has a wooden core. The indented edges form useful notches around which to secure strips of silver-gilt foil and thread. They complement an embroidered pattern of flowers worked in chain-stitched silver-gilt thread and spangles (or sequins).

The intense hue of this fabric may correspond to the colour, known as ‘pompadour’ – a deep reddish-pink made popular by Madame du Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV. This particular shade can be seen in Sèvres porcelain of the 1750s and 1760s, and references to ‘pompadour’ coloured garments are found in literature and pattern books of the period.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Waistcoat Part
  • Waistcoat Part
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen, silver, gold; hand-woven, hand-embroidered, hand-sewn
Brief description
Two halves of a woman's riding waistcoat of dark pink ribbed silk, 1760s, British; gilt thread chain stitch and spangles
Physical description
Two halves of a woman's riding waistcoat of dark pink ribbed silk, lined with linen; the fronts and skirts faced with ivory silk sarsenet. It has a round neckline, straight fronts, skirts reaching to the top of the thigh, shaped pocket flaps (no pockets) and a narrow belt buttoning at the waist. The waistcoat is chainstitched with silver-gilt filé and spangles in design of intertwined abstract leaves along the front edges, hem, pocket flaps and belt, with individual motifs on the fronts. There are 10 silver-gilt passementerie buttons on the right front and 10 buttonholes worked in silver-gilt filé on the left front. There are 12 worked lacing holes on each side at the centre back.
Dimensions
  • T.155 1979, overall length: 57.5cm (approx)
  • T.155 1979, bust under armhole width: 38.0cm (approx)
  • T.155 a 1979, overall length: 60.0cm (approx)
  • T.155 a 1979, bust under armhole width: 39.0cm (approx)
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by T. J. Edward
Summary
Silver-gilt buttons fasten this 1760s woman’s riding waistcoat of eye-catching bright pink silk. Each button has a wooden core. The indented edges form useful notches around which to secure strips of silver-gilt foil and thread. They complement an embroidered pattern of flowers worked in chain-stitched silver-gilt thread and spangles (or sequins).

The intense hue of this fabric may correspond to the colour, known as ‘pompadour’ – a deep reddish-pink made popular by Madame du Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV. This particular shade can be seen in Sèvres porcelain of the 1750s and 1760s, and references to ‘pompadour’ coloured garments are found in literature and pattern books of the period.
Bibliographic reference
Hart, Avril and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 120
Collection
Accession number
T.155&A-1979

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Record createdAugust 16, 2006
Record URL
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