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
1920-36-6
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, titled *Design for an Embroidered or Woven Border of the "Fabrique de St. Ruf"*, hails from the esteemed textile workshops of Fabrique de Saint Ruf in Lyon, France, created between 1800 and 1825. As a preparatory sketch classified simply as a drawing (medium unknown), it captures the meticulous planning behind luxurious embroidered or woven borders—likely intended for high-end silks, shawls, or furnishings that defined French elegance during the Napoleonic era and Restoration period. Lyon, long Europe's silk-weaving capital, was a hub of innovation in the early 19th cen...