Piece
Unknown Artist
19th century
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of The United Piece Dye Works, 1936
Accession Number
36.90.2796
Art Historical Context
This enigmatic woven textile fragment, simply titled *Piece*, hails from 19th-century France and exemplifies the artistry of European decorative arts. Classified as a woven textile, it reflects the era's booming textile industry, where France led in innovative weaving techniques amid the Industrial Revolution. Lyon, the silk capital, produced exquisite fabrics for fashion and furnishings, blending mechanical looms like the Jacquard with skilled craftsmanship to create intricate patterns—though the precise design here remains a tantalizing mystery. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's E...