Description:
Fragment of striped and brocaded, warp-faced satin-weave worsted wool that was probably originally woven as a dress fabric. Worsted wools came into prominence in the Low Countries and later England in the 16th century. Known as the "New Draperies," worsteds were made from sheep's wool that had longer, coarser hair than more traditional woolen fabrics, whose fibers featured shorter, but finer and softer, sheep's wool. Worsted fabrics were lighter weight, cheaper, but less sturdy than woolens, and appealed to the faster pace of changing fashion in the early modern period (c.1500-1800). By the 18th-century English weavers in Spitalfields, and later Norwich, began weaving worsteds to compete with weavers in the Low Countries. Like this example, worsteds could compete with patterned, drawloom-woven silks (providing a cheaper alternative). Worsted fabrics in many varieties, both plain and patterned, were imported to the American colonies in large numbers during the 18th century and known by many different names, including batavias, calamancos, fleurets, grandines, mecklenburgs, tabourets, tapizados, and toys, as well are more commonly used names based on characteristics of the weave, such as brocades, damasks, and sprigged satins. The selvage width for this example is about 17.25". The striped colors, all in the warp, include three shades of blue, three shades of red, three shades of green, plus white, black, and brown. Additional visual interest is provided by supplementary, brocaded wefts in red, yellow (possibly originally green), and white abstracted floral sprigs and meandering stripes. The vertical repeat of the entire design is about 7.25", and the brocaded spot motifs repeat three times across the fabric width in a straight repeat.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2019.51 |
