Design
05/03/1708 (designed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This design is from an album that contains 104 designs for fine woven silk cloth and is dated March 5th 1708. A constant supply of fashionable new designs from which to create new lines was required, so patternmakers and master weavers like James Leman supplied a wide range of designs for different weavers. The album contains some of his work from the period 1706-1716, as well as five designs from the 1730s.
James Leman was born in 1688 into a weaving family of Huguenot descent. In 1702 he was apprenticed to his father, Peter, and lived with his family in Stewart Street, Spitalfields in London. Leman's inscription on the design reveals that it was commissioned by Mr Tullie, a mercer who was an important customer of Leman's who bought 25 silks, mostly the more expensive kinds, between 1708 and 1721.
James Leman was born in 1688 into a weaving family of Huguenot descent. In 1702 he was apprenticed to his father, Peter, and lived with his family in Stewart Street, Spitalfields in London. Leman's inscription on the design reveals that it was commissioned by Mr Tullie, a mercer who was an important customer of Leman's who bought 25 silks, mostly the more expensive kinds, between 1708 and 1721.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour on laid paper |
Brief description | Design for woven silk from the 'Leman Album', pencil, watercolour and bodycolour on laid paper, by James Leman, Spitalfields, 1708 |
Physical description | Design for woven silk from the 'Leman Album', in pencil, watercolour and bodycolour on laid paper, in ochre and brown, with two stylised twisting columns on each side of the design, above which are sections of a balcony or fence. Beneath each column are large diamonds which are decorated internally. There is a wide space between the columns which is decorated with dots and motifs shaped irregularly in a manner resembling coral. The design is squared up and numbered in pencil for cords and dezines. The whole of the central portion of the design is patched and has been replaced. |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions |
|
Credit line | Purchased with Art Fund support and the National Heritage Memorial Fund |
Object history | This is a design from the so-called 'Leman album' which was bought from Vanners Silks Ltd. in 1991. Natalie Rothstein catalogued the designs before the album was bought by the Victoria and Albert Museum. She gave each design a VS number (for Vanners Silks) in her catalogue Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century. The designs have been subsequently numbered by the Prints, Drawings and Paintings Department, however, a concordance exists. Historical significance: The designs collected in the album are, with the exception of some fragmentary medieval examples in Italian collections, the earliest silk designs known to exist. |
Production | Attribution note: The whole of the central portion of the design is patched and replaced with a design which is different to the original. |
Summary | This design is from an album that contains 104 designs for fine woven silk cloth and is dated March 5th 1708. A constant supply of fashionable new designs from which to create new lines was required, so patternmakers and master weavers like James Leman supplied a wide range of designs for different weavers. The album contains some of his work from the period 1706-1716, as well as five designs from the 1730s. James Leman was born in 1688 into a weaving family of Huguenot descent. In 1702 he was apprenticed to his father, Peter, and lived with his family in Stewart Street, Spitalfields in London. Leman's inscription on the design reveals that it was commissioned by Mr Tullie, a mercer who was an important customer of Leman's who bought 25 silks, mostly the more expensive kinds, between 1708 and 1721. |
Bibliographic reference | Rothstein, Natalie. Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century in the Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London with a Complete Catalogue with 473 Illustrations, 371 in Colour. London: Thames and Hudson, 1990. 351p., ill. ISBN 0500235899.
p. 101
Full text of the entry is as follows:
'London March 5th-1708 A Damask figure for Mr Tulley
400 Cords 8 & 10 - 68 Dezines long-
for my Father P:L-
by me James Leman
The whole of the central portion of the design patched and replaced. Squared up, numbered in pencil for cords and dezines.
14 3/4" (37.5) x 10 1/4" (26) VS78' |
Other number | VS.78 - 'VS' stands for Vanners Silks which owned the album when Natalie Rothstein catalogued it for her publication <u>Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century</u>. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.1861:87-1991 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | May 7, 2002 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest