Yellow lampas gown fragment

Status

Not on view

Date1718-1730

Medium/TechniqueSilk, Lampas

DimensionsOverall: 6 3/4 in. × 10 3/8 in. (17.15 cm × 26.35 cm)

Credit LineGift of Colonel and Mrs. Edward Parke Custis Lewis Cumming, 1961

Object numberW-2370/B

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.

The fragment is cut into a large zigzag pattern on the left and top sides with correspond to the left edges of W-2979 and W-499/A, and the design aligns with W-2979, indicating that it was cut from the top of that fragment. It also has a similar provenance as W-2979.

The same red-brown splatter stains that are present on many of the other fragments from the same fabric are seen on this fragment. There are also bleach marks surrounding some of the brown stains, suggesting that there was an attempt to remove them. This same treatment is also seen on W-2979. There is also a medium-size bleach stain near the upper left.

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