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
1920-36-160
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, created by the Fabrique de Ruf in Lyon, France, around 1805–1815, served as a design template for embroidered or woven horizontal borders in textiles. Lyon was Europe's premier center for silk production during the Napoleonic era, and factories like Saint Ruf specialized in luxurious fabrics that adorned garments, furnishings, and exports worldwide. Produced amid the Empire style's neoclassical revival, such patterns likely featured motifs inspired by ancient Greece and Rome—think garlands, urns, or anthemions—reflecting the period's grandeur and imperial ambition. As a...