Panel (Dress Fabric)
1775/80
Medium
Silk, plain weave with silvered-metal-strip-wrapped with silk supplementary facing wefts; embroidered with silk and silvered-metal-strip and wire purl in satin stitches; couching; embellished with silvered and colored metal spangles; semiprecious stones
Dimensions
61.4 × 46 cm (24 1/8 × 18 1/8 in.); Warp repeat: H.: 6.5 cm (2 1/2 in.); Matted: 71.1 × 91.4 cm (28 × 36 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
59902
Art Historical Context
This stunning Panel (Dress Fabric), created around 1775–80, offers a glimpse into the op world of late 18th-century fashion. Likely part of a luxurious gown, this silk textile panel measures about 61 x 46 cm and exemplifies the extravagance of elite European dressmaking during the Georgian era, when sumptuous fabrics signaled wealth and status. Woven with a repeating warp pattern every 6.5 cm, it captures the era's shift from Rococo exuberance toward refined elegance. Crafted from silk plain weave enhanced by silvered-metal-strip-wrapped silk supplementary wefts, the panel is masterfully embr...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...