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Robe à la française, third quarter of 18th century
French
Ivory cotton printed in multicolored floral motif
Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1964 (C.I.64.32.3a,b)

An exotic floral pattern alludes to Jean-Baptiste Pillement's chinoiserie designs. The French fabric interprets an Indian export fabric that itself was a copy of what was considered a Chinese pattern. Thus characteristic of the "exotic" sources, Orientalism is never a narrow-gauge or scholastic enterprise in fashion. Rather, it is a fantasy, often a composite and customarily synthesized.


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    Robe à la française, third quarter of 18th century
    French
    Ivory cotton printed in multicolored floral motif
    Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1964 (C.I.64.32.3a,b)