1735, Guangdong
1735, Guangdong
- Identifier
- T.593:1 to 5-1999
- Acquisition
- Purchased with the assistance of the Elspeth Evans Bequest
- Collection
- Material
- Depiction
- Floral motif 93%
- Floral motif 96%
- Floral motif 85%
- Floral motif 75%
- Floral motif 95%
- Vegetal motif 45%
- Production time
- Production place
- Type of object
Description
This elegant robe and petticoat are fine examples of a woman's formal daywear in the early 1760s. In cut, fabric and design they were the height of fashion.
Materials & Making
The pattern on the silk is hand-painted. The fabric was first sized with alum to make the paint adhere. Next the design was drawn freehand in ink or silverpoint. A variety of pigments were used, including white lead or a chalk ground for the highlights. The robe and petticoat are hand sewn with silk thread and trimmed with gathered strips of the hand-painted silk.
Time
The style and design of this ensemble exemplify the Rococo fashion in dress. The pale yellow silk painted in a variety of bright colours reflects the Rococo palette, while the scalloped sleeve cuffs and gathered robings create a decorative surface pattern. The sack was a style of gown with the fabric at the back arranged in box pleats at the shoulders and falling loose to the floor with a slight train. It was worn with with a petticoat over a wide square hoop.
Places
The silk was woven and painted in China. The width of the fabric and the use of coloured threads in the selvedge (the cloth edge) differ from European silks. The floral pattern shows the influence of Western design, indicating that it was made expressly for the European market. British Galleries: Eva Garrick was keenly aware of fashion and chose hand-painted Chinese silk for her dress and Chintz for her bed-hangings.These textiles complemented the European taste for Chinoiserie furnishings. The malachite green and cochineal red on yellow ground are also typical of contemporary Rococo dress, as is the triple sleeve ruffle. [27/03/2003]