Woven Silk
1780s (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The silk has a dark salmon-pink ground woven as gros de Tours taffeta, brocaded with a highly stylised floral design in silver-gilt threads. The pattern is woven to shape; it is very likely that the silk - decorated at one end only - was intended exclusively for women's dress. This object - consisting of four loom widths joined together - could be a remnant of a skirt (possibly even of a court mantua). In the centre of the pattern (silk) is a tall exotic plant with symmetrically arranged leaves and flowers. This stands slightly above a border of swags. Along the bottom is a narrow border of formal decoration. On the right hand side a series of crescents and stars are embroidered in outline in silver thread and there is a narrow border embroidered in similar thread running the length of the textile.
Technical details
Brocaded gros de Tours, the pattern bound in 3/1 twill by a proportion of the ground warp threads (1 in 5). Two types of metal thread are used; frisé and filé (2 threads in one shoot).
Technical details
Brocaded gros de Tours, the pattern bound in 3/1 twill by a proportion of the ground warp threads (1 in 5). Two types of metal thread are used; frisé and filé (2 threads in one shoot).
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Brocaded silk |
Brief description | woven-to-shape brocaded taffeta, several widths joined together; Spain or France, 1780s |
Physical description | The silk has a dark salmon-pink ground woven as gros de Tours taffeta, brocaded with a highly stylised floral design in silver-gilt threads. The pattern is woven to shape; it is very likely that the silk - decorated at one end only - was intended exclusively for women's dress. This object - consisting of four loom widths joined together - could be a remnant of a skirt (possibly even of a court mantua). In the centre of the pattern (silk) is a tall exotic plant with symmetrically arranged leaves and flowers. This stands slightly above a border of swags. Along the bottom is a narrow border of formal decoration. On the right hand side a series of crescents and stars are embroidered in outline in silver thread and there is a narrow border embroidered in similar thread running the length of the textile. Technical details Brocaded gros de Tours, the pattern bound in 3/1 twill by a proportion of the ground warp threads (1 in 5). Two types of metal thread are used; frisé and filé (2 threads in one shoot). |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by Lady Hudson |
Object history | Registered File number 1962/2255 |
Subjects depicted | |
Collection | |
Accession number | T.64-1963 |
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Record created | June 24, 2009 |
Record URL |
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