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
1914-21-97
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, titled *Design for an Embroidered oroven Horizontal Border of theFabrique de St."*, hails from Lyon, France—the epicenter of Europe's silk industry during the early 19th century. between 1805 and 1815 by the Fabrique de Saint Ruf, a textile manufactory, it as a pattern for luxurious embroidered or woven borders. These designs were essential blueprints for weavers and embroiderers, transforming sketches into opulent fabrics destined for garments, furnishings, and exports that dazzled international markets. Lyon's silk trade flourished under Napoleon's Empire, blending ne...