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
1920-36-154
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 Fabrique de Saint Ruf in, France, dating to 1805–1815. as a preparatory sketch, it served as a blueprint for luxurious textile production—likely for embroidery or weaving intricate borders used in shawls, garments, or furnishings. Lyon's silk industry, at its zenith during the Napoleonic era made the city Europe's textile capital, where factories like Saint Ruf innovated patterns blending neoclassical motifs with emerging Empire style elegance. As a medium of ink or p...