23/04/2023
Now this is pattern matching . I follow Attires mind on my own page too and their post s are always fascinating and full of information
While surviving gowns from the 1700s are not exceptionally rare, nearly every major museum having more than one in it’s collection, it is rare indeed that we actually know some of the history attached to it when it is not something that was worn by a royal personage.
This robe à la française was created in 1775 for one Madame Oberkampf to wear to an audience with Queen Marie Antoinette at Versailles in that same year. She was wife to a very successful cotton printing entrepreneur, Christophe Philippe Oberkampf of Jouy-en-Josas, near Versailles.
The other thing that makes this gown remarkable is the extraordinary nature of the textile in use. It is a cream colored silk with an astonishing supplementary brocade weave that was created in the 1760s in Lyon, long known for the extreme quality of their silk materials. The brocade pattern uses multi-colored bouquets of flowers and sections designed to mimic various types of fantastical furs into a twining overall pattern. The weave includes more than silk thread in its making. It also uses chenille, silk flosses, and twisted yarns to give the fabric dimension and heighten the illusion of fur.
Sadly, the Kyoto Costume Institute which holds this gown only has this single image to present. No detail shots or other angles seem to exist. Fortunately this image is a large enough file to allow us to expand it to get a better view.
