Design for an Embroidered or Woven Border of the "Fabrique de St. Ruf"
1800â1825
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1920-36-49
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This delicate design drawing hails from the Fabrique de Saint, a renowned textile manufactory in Lyon, France during the early 19th century (0–1825). Lyon was Europe's silk weaving capital, its workshops producing luxurious fabrics for fashion, furnishings, and export amid the Napoleonic era's economic revival. As a preparatory sketch for an embroidered or woven border, captures the precision required for translating artistic ideas into repeatable textile patterns, blending functionality with elegance. Though the exact medium remains unidentified, its classification as a drawing underscores t...