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Dress (grande robe à la française)

1775–85
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This splendid dress is believed to have been worn by the wife of a successful cotton-printing entrepreneur (Christophe Philippe Oberkampf of Jouy-en-Josas, near Versailles) for a visit with Marie Antoinette. The silk brocade fabric, made in Lyon, shows a complex weave structure with a fanciful pattern of multicolored bouquets and motifs that mimic tufts of fur. The original V-shaped chest piece (or stomacher) has not survived, but may have resembled the one here.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dress (grande robe à la française)
  • Date: 1775–85
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Silk brocade (woven 1760s)
  • Dimensions: Dressed mannequin, from neck top to floor: 61 7/16 × 47 1/4 × 19 11/16 in. (156 × 120 × 50 cm)
  • Classification: Main dress-Womenswear
  • Credit Line: The Kyoto Costume Institute (AC11075 2004-2AB)
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts