Design for an Embroidered or Woven Horizontal Border of the "Fabrique de St. Ruf"
1805â1815
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1914-21-100
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, titled *Design for an Embro or Woven Horizontal Border the "Fabrique de. Ruf"*, hails from the renowned Fabrique de Saint Ruf in, France—a hub of textile innovation during the early 19th century. between 1805 and1815 amid the Napoleonic Empire, served as a pattern for luxurious silk borders used in embroidery or weaving. Lyon, long celebrated as the "silk capital" of Europe, produced opulent fabrics that adorned royal courts, fashionable homes, and even American elites, blending French craftsmanship with global trade. As a preparatory drawing, this work exemplifies the ...