"Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century" 1990 Rothstein, Natalie

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In The Collection Of The Victoria And Albert Museum, London

ROTHSTEIN, Natalie

[351] pp.

Bulfinch Press

1990

13 3/4" x … Read more In The Collection Of The Victoria And Albert Museum, London

ROTHSTEIN, Natalie

[351] pp.

Bulfinch Press

1990

13 3/4" x 9 3/4"

In publisher's slipcase

"The silk industries of England and France reached an apex in the eighteenth century. In range and quality, the silk designs of that period have perhaps never been excelled. Through the skill of the pattern designers and the weavers, commercial products, intended for use in ladies' dresses, were transformed into works of art. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London contains the most important and extensive collection of these silk designs in the world. Those included in this book are among the earliest to have survived anywhere, with the exception of a few medieval Italian patterns. Most of the fabrics are of English origin, created to meet the requirements of the European and American fashion markets. Comparable French patterns in the collection, as well as the extraordinarily lush designs of a French order book, are also included. Silk designs changed with every season, and through these pages fashion is seen evolving from the extravagances of 'bizarre' silks of the early eighteenth century, through the 'lace' patterns and three-dimensional effects of the 1720s and 1730s, to the Rococo of the 1740s, the stylization of the 1750s and 1760s and, finally, to the Neo-Classicism of the 1770s. The diversity is astonishing -- motifs ranging from lilies and wild daisies to exotic fruit, butterflies, castles by the sea, ruined temples, and patterns based on leopard spots, abstracts, or diamond latticework. Subtleties of texture contrast with colors as brilliant and fresh today as they were two centuries ago. See less