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)
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.














