Design for an Embroidered or Woven Horizontal Border of the "Fabrique de St. Ruf"
1800â1815
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1920-36-175
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This delicate design drawing hails from the Fabrique de Saint, a renowned textile manufactory in Lyon, France—Europe's silk weaving capital during the Napoleonic era. Created between 1800 and1815, it served as a pattern for an embroidered or woven border, likely intended for luxurious fabrics like shawls, ribbons, or garments. Lyon's ateliers were hubs of innovation, producing intricate motifs that blended Neoclassical elegance with emerging Empire style flourishes, reflecting France's post-Revolutionary taste for refined opulence. As a preparatory drawing, this work highlights the meticulous...