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Spitalfields Dress Brocade
1740s

Glorious brocade from a dress, in lovely colours with fruit from the Plane tree, which is in many London parks. Just one piece left.

The silk is woven with a points rentreés or shading technique. This was achieved by dovetailing different coloured silks together.  The silk would have been time consuming and to weave with eleven colours. Only a yard (36 inches) or 92 cm was woven a day, making brocades fabrics expensive to produce.The naturalistic silk brocade is vibrant, stunning and beautiful.  The points rentrés or shading technique helped to give a three dimensional effect  by dovetailing shades of brocading threads. Curiously in two of the lengths there is a weaving fault, where a small area is puckered. I'm suprised the weaver continued to weave the lengths.

 

 

Cataloguing

The plain weave ivory ground woven with eleven colours of inky and pale blue, two shades of coral, brown and cream, magenta and pink, black, sea green and pale green, with Plane tree conkers, the weave in a points rentreés or shading technique, pink selvedges.

37 1/2 in; 95 cm.

Design repeat 11 1/2 in;30 cm

Condition

All the lengths are very slightly grubby and have some issues, so please read on. 

D - The centre has a 5 in; 14 cm split which is bad. It could be supported from behind. There are two feint water marks at the bottom of the fabric.

Ask for photos of individual lengths and their damage.

Comments

Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century from the Victoria & Albert Museum, edited by Clare Browne p 39 for a design with conkers by Anna Maria Garthwaite.

Costume in Detail Nancy Bradfield p 5 and 9 - Gowns from the Snowshill Collection, now National Trust housed at Berrington Hall.

Fashion and Frugality. English Patterned Silks in Connecticut River Valley Women's Dress 1660-1800 by Davd E Lazaro (Dress. Journal of Costume Society of America. Vol 33, 2006)