Royal Oak and Ivy
Furnishing Fabric
1799 (printed)
1799 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
For the first 20 years of the19th century the finest and most expensive printed furnishings were polychrome woodblock-printed cottons, the technique used here. This fabric might have been used for curtains or upholstery. In this period it was fashionable for the different furnishings used in a room, including window curtains and upholstery fabric, to match or complement each other.
People
Richard Ovey, for whom this fabric was printed, was a leading linen draper of the time whose customers included the Prince of Wales. Although he styled himself 'furniture printer', he did not actually print any fabrics. Instead, he commissioned designs from different printworks, which he then sold at his shop in Covent Garden, London.
Materials & Making
This fabric is blockprinted in a colour scheme known as 'drab style', which originated about 1799 and was particularly fashionable in the years up to 1807. It continued to be used for block-printed chintzes until about 1815. It had a restricted range of browns, yellows and greens which were made by adding blue to yellow, plus occasionally blue by itself. The availability of the dye quercitron for a fast yellow encouraged the style. The 15-year patent on that dye ran out in 1799, after which it became generally available.
For the first 20 years of the19th century the finest and most expensive printed furnishings were polychrome woodblock-printed cottons, the technique used here. This fabric might have been used for curtains or upholstery. In this period it was fashionable for the different furnishings used in a room, including window curtains and upholstery fabric, to match or complement each other.
People
Richard Ovey, for whom this fabric was printed, was a leading linen draper of the time whose customers included the Prince of Wales. Although he styled himself 'furniture printer', he did not actually print any fabrics. Instead, he commissioned designs from different printworks, which he then sold at his shop in Covent Garden, London.
Materials & Making
This fabric is blockprinted in a colour scheme known as 'drab style', which originated about 1799 and was particularly fashionable in the years up to 1807. It continued to be used for block-printed chintzes until about 1815. It had a restricted range of browns, yellows and greens which were made by adding blue to yellow, plus occasionally blue by itself. The availability of the dye quercitron for a fast yellow encouraged the style. The 15-year patent on that dye ran out in 1799, after which it became generally available.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Royal Oak and Ivy (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Block-printed cotton and pencilled |
| Brief description | Furnishing fabric 'Royal Oak and Ivy' of block-printed cotton, made by Bannister Hall for Richard Ovey, 1799 |
| Physical description | Furnishing fabric of block-printed cotton and pencilled (painted) blue. With a 'demy' chintz design lacking madder colours. With a design of royal oak and ivy. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
From 1790 to 1831 Richard Ovey was the leading English merchant for 'furniture prints'. He commissioned designs from various printworks, particularly in Lancashire for his shop in Covent Garden, London. The design for this textile is inscribed 'R.Ovey's favourite pattern (do it well)'.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum |
| Object history | Printed at Bannister Hall, Lancashire |
| Production | Made 20/07/1799 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type For the first 20 years of the19th century the finest and most expensive printed furnishings were polychrome woodblock-printed cottons, the technique used here. This fabric might have been used for curtains or upholstery. In this period it was fashionable for the different furnishings used in a room, including window curtains and upholstery fabric, to match or complement each other. People Richard Ovey, for whom this fabric was printed, was a leading linen draper of the time whose customers included the Prince of Wales. Although he styled himself 'furniture printer', he did not actually print any fabrics. Instead, he commissioned designs from different printworks, which he then sold at his shop in Covent Garden, London. Materials & Making This fabric is blockprinted in a colour scheme known as 'drab style', which originated about 1799 and was particularly fashionable in the years up to 1807. It continued to be used for block-printed chintzes until about 1815. It had a restricted range of browns, yellows and greens which were made by adding blue to yellow, plus occasionally blue by itself. The availability of the dye quercitron for a fast yellow encouraged the style. The 15-year patent on that dye ran out in 1799, after which it became generally available. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.86-1960 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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