Piece
Unknown Artist
ca. 1740
Medium
Silk
Dimensions
L. 124 x W. 20 3/4 inches (315.0 x 52.7 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
British, London, Spitalfields
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. George Nichols, 1964
Accession Number
64.112
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silk textile panel, woven around 1740 in London's Spitalfields district, exemplifies the pinnacle of British 18th-century weaving craftsmanship. Measuring an impressive 124 inches long 20¾ inches wide, this narrow "piece" likely served as a border or insert for luxurious garments, upholstery, or drapery. Adorned with delicate motifs of flowers and leaves, captures the exuberant naturalism of the Rococo style, where organic forms flourished in decorative arts. Spitalfields was Europe's premier silk-weaving hub during this era, bolstered by skilled Huguenot refugees who brought F...