Brocaded Silk Skirt Panel

Date1750-1760

MediumBrocaded Silk Taffeta

DimensionsOH: 40 1/2" x OW: 19 1/2"; repeat: 21"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1970-156

DescriptionThis is a brocaded silk consisting of a white ribbed taffeta ground with a sub-pattern in white, creating a weft-float effect. A zig-zag and serpentine palmette motif is interspersed with brocaded flower sprays in three red, two green, two blue, two mauve, yellow, and rust tones. This fragment was formerly part of the skirt of a gown. The selvedges are tabby, with one moss-green stripe, followed by one white stripe, and then a very thin yellow-green stripe at the very edge of each side.Label TextThis silk fragment was designed in Spitalfields, a neighborhood in East London where England's finest silks were produced in the 18th century. This industry was led by French Protestant refugees, and it was because of these individuals that England's silks began to rival French examples. This textile, with its sinuous floral patterns, light ground, and pastel tones, is typical of Spitalfields silks and the Rococo designs and colors that were so popular in Britain, the Continent, and the United States in the middle of the 18th century.Inscription(s)NoneMark(s)None