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Embroidered panels for a man's suit

1780s
Not on view
The multiple pieces here, comprising the cuffs, collar, and front panels for a man's coat (including pocket flaps, vents, and buttons in two sizes) as well as knee bands for breeches, represent a suit ready to be cut and sewn to the client’s measurements. This method of tailoring (à la disposition) allowed visitors to Versailles to dress themselves quickly according to the latest French taste. The colorful floral embroidery—a testament to the high quality of French needlework—guaranteed that the wearer would cut a dashing figure.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Embroidered panels for a man's suit
  • Date: 1780s
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Silk embroidery on woven silk, satin stitch; stem stitch, knots and silk net
  • Dimensions: Overall (.290a, confirmed): 45 1/4 × 22 1/4 in. (114.9 × 56.5 cm);
    Overall (.290b, confirmed): 45 × 22 1/4 in. (114.3 × 56.5 cm);
    Overall (.290c, confirmed): 48 1/2 × 22 1/4 in. (123.2 × 56.5 cm);
    Overall (.290d, confirmed): 49 × 22 1/4 in. (124.5 × 56.5 cm);
    Overall (.290e, confirmed): 20 1/2 × 22 1/4 in. (52.1 × 56.5 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Irene Lewisohn and Alice L. Crowley Bequests, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.290a–e
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Armchair (Fauteuil à la reine) (one of a pair) (part of a set), Georges Jacob French, Carved and gilded walnut; embroidered silk satin, French, Paris
Armchair (Fauteuil à la reine) (one of a pair) (part of a set)
Georges Jacob
Joseph-François-Xavier Baudoin
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Small settee (Marquise) (part of a set), Georges Jacob French, Carved and gilded walnut; 18th-century embroidered silk-satin (not original to the frame), French, Paris
Small settee (Marquise) (part of a set)
Georges Jacob
Philippe de Lasalle
ca. 1785
Seasons and Elements (Summer) (set of four), Charles Le Brun French, Canvas; silk, wool, and metal-thread embroidery in tent stitch (316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 per sq. cm.), French, Paris
Seasons and Elements (Summer) (set of four)
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683
Seasons and Elements (Fire) (set of four), Charles Le Brun French, Canvas; silk, wool, and metal-thread embroidery in tent stitch (316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 per sq. cm.), French, Paris
Seasons and Elements (Fire) (set of four)
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683
Seasons and Elements (Spring) (set of four), Charles Le Brun French, Canvas; silk, wool, and metal-thread embroidery in tent stitch (316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 per sq. cm.), French, Paris
Seasons and Elements (Spring) (set of four)
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1683

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