Description:
7 yards of a drawloom-woven silk. The ground is a pink plain weave silk that is slightly ribbed, akin to a taffeta. The drawloom's figure harness has embellished the material with small floral sprigs, arabesques, and floral garlands secured with bows. These are created with supplementary weft-patterned floats (brocading threads) in five colors; two shades of green, two shades of pink, maroon, and yellow. The floral sprigs seen in the design measure about 3 1/2" long x 3 1/4" wide. Additionally, there is a thicker, white/off-white crinkled or low-twist yarn that adds a textural quality to the design. The selvage width is approximately 21" (possibly wider). The pattern repeats twice across the width in a straight or comber repeat. The vertical repeat is about 14" long. The pastel colors and light overall feel of the design mod towards the new Neoclassical aesthetic that would take hold in the decorative arts by the end of the 18th century. Patterned silks such as this example were some of the costly fabrics availabe for dress and furnishings in the 18th century. It could take many months to design, prepare the loom, and weave them. English and European centers of 18th-century silk weaving included Spitalfields (East London), Lyon (298 miles from Paris), and Amsterdam and Haarlem in Holland. There is evidence that these costly fabrics were imported and worn in New England, but in far fewer numbers.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.181 |
