Brocaded Silk Panel

Date1760-65

MediumSilk satin with silk brocading

DimensionsOH: 25 1/4" x OW: 21 1/4"; repeat: 19 3/4"

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Cora Ginsburg

Object number1991-536

DescriptionThis is a rectangular clothing textile of brown silk satin brocaded with red and white roses, light and dark green vines, and a vertical sinuous lacy pattern. The lace is white with bits of blue at the turns for shading. Two vines of white, green, and brown climb up the textile with the lace. The vines have bouquets of roses and berries in a variety of sizes and colors--white, red, green, pink, brown, and beige. Loose remnants of thread appear sporadically throughout the piece suggestive of a former use.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, is typical of Spitalfields silks and the Rococo designs that were so popular in Britain, the Continent, and the United States in the middle of the 18th century. The imitation lace on the fabric was a more cost-effective alternative to sewing real bands of curving lace onto one's gowns.Inscription(s)NoneMark(s)NoneProvenanceEx. collection: Doris Langley Moore.