Design for an Embroidered or Woven Horizontal Border of the "Fabrique de St. Ruf"
1805â1815
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1914-21-92
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This elegant drawing, titled *Design for an Embroidered oroven Horizontal Border of the "Fabrique de St."*, originates from the Fabrique de Saint Ruf, textile workshop in Lyon, France—Europe's silk-weaving capital—dated to 1805–1815. As a preparatory sketch in the medium of drawing, it functioned as a pattern template for creating intricate horizontal borders, likely intended for embroidery or loom-woven textiles like ribbons, trims, or furnishing edges. During the Napoleonic and early Restoration, Lyon's manufactories like Saint Ruf produced luxurious silks that defined high fashion and inte...