Chemise

About this artwork

Schenking van mevrouw G.A. Brusse-Urtebise, Amsterdam

Art Historical Context

The image shows a delicate black chemise displayed on a white mannequin. Made entirely of bobbin lace, the garment reveals intricate floral and scrolling motifs across its surface, with a scalloped neckline and hem that create soft, undulating edges. Thin straps support the piece, while the openwork allows the mannequin’s form to show through the patterned fabric. Created by Madame Watrigant between about 1925 and 1930, this chemise demonstrates the refined skill of early twentieth-century lace-making applied to intimate apparel. The artist employed traditional bobbin-lace techniques to produce a lightweight, elegant garment suited to the period’s fashion for fine, decorative underclothing. The Rijksmuseum received the work as a gift from mevrouw G.A. Brusse-Urtebise of Amsterdam, ensuring its preservation as an example of European textile artistry.