Piece

Art Historical Context

This exquisite silk fragment, titled simply *Piece*, hails from 18th-century France, a golden era for European textile artistry. Measuring just 3 7/8 x 4 3/4 inches (9.8 x 12.1 cm), this woven textile exemplifies the finesse of French silk production, centered in Lyon, where master weavers crafted luxurious fabrics for royalty, nobility, and high fashion. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1909 and now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, it represents the pinnacle of woven textiles as both functional luxury and artistic expression. ...