Yellow lampas gown fragment

Status

Not on view

Date1718-1730

Medium/TechniqueSilk, lampas

DimensionsOverall (H x W): 10 in. x 6 1/4 in. (25.4 cm x 15.88 cm) Other (Design Height): 20 1/2 in. (52.07 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Lyttleton B. P. Gould, Jr., M. Chapin Krech, Dr. Shepard Krech, Alvin W. Krech, Peter Chapin, Charles Chapin, and Mrs. Charles Merrill Chapin III, in memory of Esther Maria Lewis Chapin, 1986

Object numberW-2979

DescriptionThis yellow silk lampas fragment is part of a point repeat design (a reverse repeat, mirrored across the central axis), containing a central bouquet motif with tulips, berries, pineapples, and pomegranates in a vase. The central motif is flanked by serpentine vines featuring berries and grape leafs. Various geometric diaper patterns are used to fill the floral elements. Based on comparison with other fragments of this fabric which contain a selvedge, the original width of the fabric was approximately 20.5 -21". The vertical repeat of the design is approximately 15.5".

The fabric is plain woven with supplementary warps and thicker wefts, causing a very slight ribbing. The warp floats are Z-spun, and the weft floats are unspun and show a 4/1 satin stitch. The reverse of the fabric shows only plain weave, with evidence of the weft design visible only by the binding points of the satin stitch.

There is an unfaded red-brown splatter stain on the upper right side of the fragment, which matches stains found of several other fragments in the MVLA collection from the same fabric. There is bleaching around the stains on the reverse of the fabric, suggesting that at one point there was an effort to remove them.

The fragment was cut from the top left of W-499/A, evidenced by the large zigzag cut of the left edge and aligning of the design. W-2370/B was cut from the top of this piece (W-2929) and has a similar provenance.

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