Pair of chair seat covers
third quarter 18th century
Medium
Painted and woven silk
Dimensions
Overall (.1): 28 1/2 × 31 1/2 in. (72.4 × 80 cm); Overall (.2): 23 1/2 × 26 in. (59.7 × 66 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Painted|Textiles-Woven
Culture
probably French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Titi Halle, 2014
Accession Number
2014.710.1, .2
Tags
Art Historical Context
These exquisite chair seat covers, created by Jean Pillement in the third quarter of the 18th century, showcase the refined elegance of French decorative arts. Likely designed for fine upholstered seating, the pair features delicate motifs of butterflies and flowers rendered on silk. As textiles classified under both painted and woven categories, they reflect the period’s appreciation for nature-inspired ornamentation in domestic interiors, where such covers added both comfort and visual charm to aristocratic homes. The combination of painting and weaving allowed artisans to achieve intricate...