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
1920-36-136
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, titled *Design for an Embro or Woven Horizontal Border of the "Fabrique de. Ruf"*, hails from the renowned silk manufactory Fabrique Saint Ruf in Lyon, France, dating to the early 19th century (1805–1815). Lyon was Europe's silk capital during this era, its workshops producing luxurious textiles that adorned the gowns, furnishings, and interiors of the Napoleonic Empire's elite. As a preparatory design—likely a pattern or cartoon—this ink or pencil work on paper served as a blueprint for weavers and embroiderers, guiding the intricate repetition of motifs in horizontal b...