Bag
18th century
Medium
Silk, plain weave, warp-faced, moiré treatment; embroidered in silk floss, spangles, purl, metal strip wrapped on silk core; stem and satin stitches
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
28706
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 18th-century silk, housed in the Art Institute of's Textiles Department, exemplifies the opulent craftsmanship of its era. Crafted from a warp-faced plain weave with a moiré finish—a technique that creates a subtle, watery shimmer through calendering—the bag gleams with luxurious texture. Its surface is richly embroidered using silk floss, sparkling spangles, purl (a coiled metal wire), and metal strips wrapped around a silk core, all worked in precise stem and satin stitches for depth and dimension. In the 18th century, such embroidered accessories were prized status symbols, ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...