Design for an Embroidered or Woven Horizontal Border of the "Fabrique de St. Ruf," Unfinished, with Alternative Suggestions
1805â1815
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1914-21-81
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This unfinished drawing from the Fabrique de Saint Ruf, a renowned textile manufactory in Lyon, France, dates to 1805–1815, the height of the Napoleonic era. Titled *Design for an Embroidered or Woven Horizontal Border*, it features a horizontal pattern with alternative suggestions, showcasing the iterative creative process behind luxury textiles. Lyon, long celebrated as Europe's silk capital, was home to innovative workshops like Saint Ruf, which produced intricate fabrics for fashion and furnishings, blending artisanal skill with emerging industrial techniques. As a preparatory drawing—its...