Piece
Unknown Artist
ca. 1750
Medium
Silk and metal thread
Dimensions
L. 25 x W. 13 1/2 inches 63.5 x 34.3 cm
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of The United Piece Dye Works, 1936
Accession Number
36.90.1236
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite woven textile panel, titled simply *Piece*, hails from France around 1750, a pinnacle of the Rococo era's lavish decorative arts. Crafted from luxurious silk and shimmering metal threads, it measures 25 by 13½ inches and bursts with intricate motifs of flowers, leaves, trees. These naturalistic elements, rendered in vibrant patterns, exemplify the period's fascination with organic forms, evoking the elegance of Versailles gardens and the opulence of aristocratic interiors. As a product of advanced French weaving techniques, likely from the renowned Lyons silk industry, this pie...