Piece
Unknown Artist
early 19th century
Medium
Cotton
Dimensions
L. 57 1/2 x W. 33 inches 146.1 x 83.8 cm
Classification
Textiles-Printed
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Miss Ruth Teschner, 1925
Accession Number
25.49
Art Historical Context
This elegant printed cotton textile, simply titled *Piece*, hails from early 19th-century France, a period when the nation led Europe in textile innovation during the Napoleonic era and Restoration. Measuring 57½ by 33 inches (146.1 x 83.8 cm), it exemplifies the decorative arts of the time, likely intended for upholstery, curtains, or wall hangings in bourgeois homes. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1925 by Miss Ruth Teschner, it resides in the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts department, highlighting France's mastery of printed fabrics. Printed on cotton—a lightweight, ve...