Water-lily panel

Designer Associated Artists American
Manufacturer Manufactured by Cheney Brothers American
1883–1900
Not on view
This water-lily panel is one example of Candace Wheeler’s (1827-1923) innovative and justifiably famous “shadow silks,” shown draped to fully display the fabric’s iridescent qualities. To make these fabrics a special warp-printing technique was employed: the warp (the vertical threads) was preprinted with the pattern beforehand, and when the solid-colored horizontal weft threads were woven in, the designs naturally fell slightly out of alignment. The twill weave creates a noticeable diagonal rib, and light reflects off the ribbed surface, further softening the printed design. These blurring effects, suggesting reflections on water, are heightened by the iridescence resulting from the use of contrasting colors for the warp and the weft—here, gold (warp) and pink (weft).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Water-lily panel
  • Designer: Associated Artists (1883–1907)
  • Manufacturer: Manufactured by Cheney Brothers (American, 1838–1955)
  • Date: 1883–1900
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Warp-printed silk
  • Dimensions: 62 x 30 in. (157.5 x 76.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Candace Pullman Wheeler, 2002
  • Object Number: 2002.355.2
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.