Design for an Embroidered or Woven Horizontal Border of the "Fabrique de St. Ruf"
1805–1815
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1914-21-122
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 silk manufactory Fabrique de Saint in Lyon, France, a hub of textile innovation during the early 19th century. between 1805 and1815 amid the Napoleonic era, it captures the Empire style's elegant neoclassicism, where Lyon weavers produced luxurious silks for fashion, furnishings, and export worldwide. As a preparatory sketch, it served as a vital pattern—or "cartoon"—guiding artisans in looms or embroidery frames, showcasing the precision required for intricate borders...